Found You!
by CoolCat0720
Summary: "W-What did you say?" Nathan groaned in frustration, "Dammit Trixie I love ya' and I ain't gonna let no one steal ya' from me!" With that, Trixie felt as Nathan wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and pulled her tightly against him, immediately connecting for his kiss. At that moment, no one else existed but Nathan and Trixie...Please read!
1. Prologue

"So if I just answer your questions, you will surrender; that's what yer sayin'?" Captain Rorien questioned, looking at Captain Morgan who had a smile upon his face. "That's exactly what I'm sayin', but it all depends whether or not ya wanna listen to what we have to say." Captain Rorien scratched his chin, deep in thought. The rest of the Sirius crew looked to Captain Morgan worriedly, but he simply smiled calmly at them before looking back to Captain Rorien, waiting for his reply. Nathan unconciously gulped as the seconds ticked by. It had already been a month since Trixie went missing, this was the only lead they had. If it was a dead end, they would have nothing to go on, and they would have to continue their endless search. Now that Nathan thought about it, if Trixie didn't have the stand out physical features that she had, things would have been so much harder it probably would have taken forever just to find a simple lead.

"Alright," Rorien answered, looking at Captain Morgan, "I will hear what ya have to say. My answers will depend on yer question." Captain Morgan released a sigh of relief and stepped forward, ignoring the other crewmen who held their weapons within eyes view. The rest of the Sirius watched their captain, the intensity of the moment growing by the second. This was their only chance and their captain was the only one who was being able to use it.

"Cap'n Rorien," Captain Morgan started, "We are looking for someone; a woman to be exact." Rorien's expression darkened with a smile and he asked, "A woman eh? She do something to stir ya up?" The other crewmen snickered at their Captains coment, but Nathan's hands clenched tightly. They had no idea how hard he was restraining himself from beating the crap out of them that instant just for their sick tristed opinions. The thoguth of a woman twisted these men's attitudes instantly; it was so sickening to Nathan he was hoping Trixie wasnt actually here. Captain Morgan nodded, "She ran away; we are desparately trying to get her to come back, but our problem is we dont know where she went."

Rorien looked at Captain Morgan suspciously, crossing his arms at his chest, "Whats this got to do with ya sneeking on my ship?" Captain Morgan simply gestured to Rorien, "My question is have you seen this woman? We heard that you had taken a girl captive after she tried to steal some of yer gold. Rumors are she had features unlike most people around these parts." Rorien rubbed his chin, a smirk growing on his lips, "What are these features yer talkin about?"

Captain Morgan held up his hands, "Well how 'bout we start with black water hair, semi-pale, oh and light blue eyes; you could say they look like-" "Crystals." Rorien finished, catching Captain Morgan off guard. Thats what he was going to say. He nodded hesitantly, "Yeah, something like that. I take it ya seen her before?" The members of the crew laughed darkly and Rorien nodded, "Oh you can be yer bottoms I've seen her. She has a piercing in her right ear, don't she?" Even though it was suppose to be a question, the way it was spoken made it sound like he knew exactly what Captain Morgan was talking about. Nathan was the one who spoke this time, "You have her here, don't ya?' he accused.

The crewmen all laughed and snickered at Nathan who was firmly locking eyes with Rorien. Rorien smiled darkly and yelled, "Lets bring the fish out of the water boys!" Three men moved across the deck. Nathan knew he was right; she had to be here. But instead of going below deck like he thought they would, the three men moved over to the side of the side. On the rail was a rope tied tightly in multiple knots; it trailed down over the outside of the ship. The three men all grabbed some of the rope and suddenly began to pull the rope up. first it was just inch by inch, then it was foot by foot; Nathan could see that the end of the rope was slowly coming up. Rorien barked, "Hurry up ya slackers! Bring er' about!"

The three men reached over the edge and pulled up something big. Nathan felt his stomach drop when he realized that something was a person. They forced the person to stand, holding theirs arms and the back of their neck. Rorien walked over to the person and grabbed them by the chin, forcing them to look at him. Icy blue eyes met his gaze, staring at him coldy. "You have a nice swim?" he asked smugly.

Her clothes clung to her body like a second skin, dripping wet from the icy cold ocean water. Bruises adorned her arms and neck, even one side of her face seemed darker than the other. She was thinner and looked even more pale if it was possible. Her eyes had bags underneath, her hair had grown and was now an inch past her waist even in her ponytail.

It was Trixie...

In that moment, something broke inside of Nathan, and it only took him a moment to realize it was his self control. He was ready to move now. He threw a sharp look at the Captain who nodded in return. It was time for revenge.

Trixie looked over at the Sirius member with a surprised expression. It only took her moments to lock eyes with Nathan who smiled darkly. "Hey kid," HE said loud enough for her to hear, "I've come to take you back."

To Be Continued...


	2. Bar Fight

**Ask and you shall recieve:) Even though only a handful asked, I have decided to continue this story! Thank you for giving me motivation to start this story! Oh heads up, the characters are gonna be talking like pirates obviously so if it looks like its spelled weird it so it sounds like the way they would be speaking! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1: Bar Fight

"Trixie, I have to get more meat from the butcher before we open. That customer last night cleaned us out." Trixie laughed at the owner's comment and continued to clean the cup she was holding. Her boss grabbed his jacket and hat, putting it on his head, "Clean up before we open tonight." Trixie nodded and replied, "No problem Boss, it will be done before you know it." He smiled weakly at Trixie before walking out to the street, closing the door behind him. Trixie finished the cup in her hand and placed it on the shelves next to the rest of its relatives. Then, she began to clean a plate on the counter, humming softly to herself. 'This is my life,' she thought to herself. She was only seventeen and she was working at a bar; the last thing other girls would even consider doing. Yet at the same time other girls her age were already married and having children.

Trixie couldn't see herself settling down yet; her mother was sick in bed, her brother was going to school with the extra money she was bringing home, and her father was slaving away at the mines. She had to think about her own family before going to make another one. Besides, she could never see herself in a long white wedding dress like all the rest of the girls in her town. Her best friend had just gotten married the week before and was currently on her honeymoon; Trixie hadn't heard from her since the wedding. She was fifteen. To Trixie, the thought of getting married at such a young age was revolting to her, but at the same time with a life like this, getting married was the only thing you could do with yourself until your parents chose for you for the sake of money. Trixie knew her mother would never allow that but her father on the other hand usually had other ideas.

Trixie finshed the plates that were left and began wiping down the counter top when two very loud knocks sounded at the front door. Trixie stared at the door in confusion before looking at the clock. It would be hours before they opened, why were people already coming if most people knew that? "Open up and give us some booze!" A man shouted from the other side of the door, his words slightly slurred. From his accent and tone of speaking, Trixie could tell two things. One, this man wasn't from Yamato. Two, he was already drunk. She continued to wipe down the counter and yelled back, "Sorry we're closed, come back later!" Another pounding sounded at the door with an angry shout, "I don't care if yer' closed! Gimme some booze fer' cryin' out loud!"

Trixie just sighed in annoyance and didn't bother replying. If it didn't work the first time, she didn't want to bother trying again. When she finished wiping down the counter, she moved to the next table and began wiping it down. 'Damn thugs,' she thought to herself.

Suddenly, the door was kicked in and Trixie came face to face with two rough looking men; one was very tall and thin looking, almost twig like with short scuffy hair hidden underneath a red bandana. The other was a short fat man with a shaved head and an ugly scar across the bridge of his nose. 'Pirates,' Trixie thought franticly. The tall one snickered at Trixie's frightened expression and said, "Well looky here, we have a scrawny one working at a place like this. Now give us some booze woman!" Trixie held her ground and shook her head, "I said we're closed; come back when the sun sets and you can buy all the booze you want."

Trixie was going to continue cleaning when suddenly she was lifted off her feet from behind. "Let me go!" She yelled, kicking and struggling with all her might. The man tightened his grip on her and grunted, "Yer' strong fer' someone so scrawny." He threw her down on the counter with such force the air flew from her lungs, leaving her painfully breathless. Her head spun for a moment before she felt something cold and smooth press against her neck. The short man laughed as the thin man pressed the knife even harder against her neck, the blade cutting slightly into her skin. "We're valued customers who want some booze and if ya' won't get it fer' us, we'll take it ourselves; free of charge of course.

The short man laughed and went behind the counter, raiding the booze shelf and throwing each bottle into a bag. "No stop it! Put those back; they don't belong to you!" She protested, but all she got in response was a bucket of laughter in her face. "Ya' think we care if it's ours or not?!" Trixie bit back her hatred and tried to think of an escape plan. 'I have to get away,' she thought franticly, looking around for an escape route. What should have taken the short man twenty minutes from the amount of booze they had in stock, he had stashed every booze bottle in the sac and was tying off the top within a span of ten. The tall man who held down Trixie smirked at his partner, "Got all the booze?" The short man smiled, spreading his arms wide, "We have enough to last fer' a month!" The both made a noise of joy and accomplishment before turning their attention back to Trixie.

This time when the men examined her, they got a closer look of what they actually had in their hands. "Say," The short one began, "She's actually a real beauty now that ya' look at her." The girl before them was a bit on the scrawny side, but she had curves that were visible at close range. Her skin an unusual pale that would remind someone of a cozy cream color, but her most eye catching features were her silvery blue eyes and midnight black hair. Most humans didn't have such features at Trixie; sometimes she wondered if she was really related to her family because of the differences.

"Get yer' hands off of me!" She yelled, flailing her legs about. The short man back away when one of her legs was close to striking his face. The tall man did his best to restrain her and pressed the blade harder against her throat, causing her to yelp in pain. "I said hold still!" He barked, leaning closer to her face. This time, Trixie obeyed, a small idea forming in her head. She just had to wait until he was close enough.

The man above her smirked and leaned down close, "That's a good lass; now don't struggle and you won't get hurt…much." The man stared hungrily at her chest and began to lean down more. Right as he was inches away from her face, Trixie moved as well.

WHAM!

The man howled in pain and lifted himself off of her, clutching his swollen head. Trixie rubbed her forehead and winced slightly at the painfully headache that was forming. He had had a harder head than she anticipated. She moved herself off the table just in time when the short man went to jump on her. She grabbed a chair and held it in front of herself, the legs pointing at her opponents. The short man rolled off the table slowly and stood before her, his expression one of anger and annoyance. Even Trixie was overcome with fear, she did her best to stand firm and hold her ground.

Suddenly the tall man yelled in anger and fixed his eyes on Trixie, his nostrils flaring.

Uh Oh…

He stormed over to Trixie, taking the legs of the chair, and yanked it out of her grip like nothing. He threw the chair so hard it went crashing through the front window, causing nearby people to scream and run franticly. With no defense, Trixie backed up until her back was against the bar, her fingers gripping the edge of the counter. As he approached her, fear rushed over her, and she completely froze. What do I do, she thought franticly. "Yer gonna regret what you did, ya bitch!" The man held his knife up and moved it down towards Trixie; instead of moving out of the way, she was so frightened she froze and screamed at the top of her lungs.

A gun shot rang loudly through the bar, followed by the clanking of metal and the cry of the tall man.

Trixie looked at the man before her; he fell to his knees, holding his bloodied hand to his chest. Was that a gun shot?

"W-Who did that?!" The short man sputtered, looking at the door. There stood a man with an eye patch, a gun in his hand, the muzzle smoking. His dark brown hair was swooshed back out of his view, his eye not covered was staring back and forth between the two men. He wore a golden brown tail coat with a belt strapped across his chest, fitting black pants under knee high leather boots. For a second he seemed to be a normal man, but Trixie noticed the sword strapped to his waist. He's a pirate, she thought panicing.

The man lifted the muzzle near his face and gently blew across the top, causing the smoke to move away and disappear. He examined the gun in his hand and spoke, "Wanna explain why there's a chair out on the street?" Trixie stared at the man incrediously. Was he serious? The chair was what drew him here? Then again it did go flying out the window, she thought.

The short man growled, "Its none of yer' business! Get lost!" The man with the eye patch glared sharply at the short man, saying coldly, "What makes ya' think ya' can order me around like cattle?" His whole presense screamed 'Dangerous', making Trixie think that her head was going to be on a platter either way. She wasn't exactly afraid of him, she was just afraid of what he was capable of, and by the looks of it he was capable of a lot of things. The short man gulped and took a step back, his eye's never leaving the man with the eye patch.

Suddenly, a loud whistle rang throughout the bar and outside, causing Trixie to flinch. What was that, she wondered. She looked over at the tall man who was smirking. "It's all over for ya' stranger; soon yer' gonna be out numbered ten to one."

Seconds later, more men came scrambling into the bar, struggling to get in first. "Yo Skip, why did ya' call us?" One of them asked, looking back and forth between the tall man and the one with the eye patch. Now's my chance, Trixie thought, slowly inching herself along the counter. If she could at least make it to the back room, she could take the alleyway exit and make a break for it.

The tall man, Skip, raiased his hand, "Nevermind that," he pointed a finger at the man with the eye patch, "Get this one!" The other men pulled out knives and others grabbed a chair or two, their brows scrunching together. A fight was about to start; all hell was going to break loose. The man with the eye patch sighed and loaded his pistol with another round of bullets, "There's no rest for the wicked."

"Get em'!" The tall man yelled, and the others yelled and charged.

Trixie wanted to close her eyes but she kept them open, watching things unfold before her. The man with the eye patch whirled around towards the group of new enemies and fired shots at them. Some howled in pain, dropping their weapons. Despite that, others still charged. Trixie felt a scream rise up in her throat, but it was quickly silenced whe more than half of the chargers were met with either a fist or a foot in their face. I-Incredible, she thought, watching in amazement. Was this man really human?

She was going to continue watching when the collar of her shirt was grabbed, yanking her forward. The tall man pulled her with him, trying to move to the front door, but she resisted. "Come on you! Its pointless t' struggle!" Trixie shook her head and raked his wrist with her nails, trying to make him release the grip on her shirt. "No, I'm not going!" she said, pulling back. He grunted in frustration and yanked harder. "Let me go!" Trixie screamed at the top of her lungs.

The man with the eye patch turned in their direction and fired a bullet, piercing the man's hand. He cried out in pain, releasing Trixie and falling back, a hole in the middle of his palm. She held the collar of her shirt and ducked just in time as the short man dove for her, tripping over her crouched form. He fell head first to the floor, hitting his head hard enough to keep him still on the floor.

"Jeez, these guys don't know how to take rejection well!" Trixie thought aloud, rising to her feet. Now's my chance, she thought suddenly, running towards the back door. Most of the others were still by the front door and she didn't want to risk getting caught in the gunfire. She wrapped her fingers around the knob and twisted, but it wouldn't move.

It was locked.

"Son ofa' Barrel!" She cursed out loud. Did the manager lock it before he left? He never locked it before, but she knew he had a spare around here somewhere. The bar, she thought remembering, and turned towards the bar. the fight was still ensuing, none of them backing down. Trixie glanced at the man with the eye patch, noticing how he didn't seem tired at all; if anything he seemed more pumped than the rest. It intrigued her momentarily before she noticed one of the others with a rifle, standing at the other end of the bar, aiming at the eye patched man.

Trixie came to a screeching halt and screamed at him, "Duck!"

The man with the eye patch stared at her momentarily, confused, before he came down on his knees just in time to dodge a bullet that hit the wall right next to Trixie. She jumped, her heart leaping in her chest. That was close, she thought as she looked at the man with rifle. He creased his eyebrows in frustration, now aiming at Trixie. "Yipes!" she yelled as she dove for behind the bar. Three shots rang out, hitting glasses that showered Trixie in pieces. She covered her head with her hands and waited for the glass shower to end before crawling over and opening each of the drawers, searching for the spare key. Where is it, she thought. The manager always kept a spare around here somewhere. But after searching every drawer and no spare key, Trixie felt as if she were going to cry.

I just want to leave this place right now, she thought, feeling like a frightened little girl. What was the deal anyway, no one ever thought of taking the fight back out to the street?

"Eduardo, whaddya' think yer' doing?" Someone yelled, running into the bar. Oh no not anymore, Trixie thought, peeking her head over the counter of the bar. But he wasn't as unappealing as the others, he was attractive beyond compare. He hair was a dark blonde, ruffled and messed around his face, coming down over his eyes, but he pushed it aside. His eyes were a dark green, contrasting with his tan skin. He was handsome alright. Now that I see it, the man with the eye patch looks handsome too, she thought, her cheeks becoming slightly flushed. It wasn't every day you saw men as attractive as them. She sudenly shook her head of the thought. You need to focus and get out of here.

"Russell, good timing; I need help with the clean up." The man with the eye patch, Eduardo, said, reloading his pistol. The one known as Russell sighed in annoyance, "Yer' just a magnet for trouble." Eduardo smirked briefly before looking over at Trixie, who lowered her head when he made eye contact. Oh boy, she thought to herself, preparing for the worst. She yelped when her wrists were grabbed and she was forced up over the bar. Eduardo pulled her over the counter, "Woman, get lost." he ordered, shoving her towards the door. "W-What?" she asked confused, forcing herself not to stumble.

One of the other men moved in front of the door, catching Trixie roughly by the arm, causing her the yell in pain. The one known as Russell moved fast like a whip, unsheathing his sword enough for the hilt to crush again the man's stomach. The man doubled over, releasing Trixie. Before she could even give her thanks to both of them, Russell shoved her out the door. "Ya' heard him, get lost! Ya'll just be in the way!"

Without a second thought, Trixie nodded and ran down the street, praying both men would be alright.

**Well that's the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! I tried to stick to the story a little more with this part, but if you couldn't tell I changed it up a bit:) Please tell me what you thought of this chapter, honest opinions and compliments of course are always accepted! Please REVIEW!**


	3. Stowaway to Sirius Ship!

Chapter 2: Stowaway to Sirius Ship?!

Trixie ran until her legs could carry her no more and she was forced to sit down. Turning down an alleyway, she saw some old furniture that was meant to be thrown out. _That'll work,_ she thought as she sat down on an old chair. She rested her elbows on her knees and buried her face in the palm of her hands. She was still processing everything that happened. The bar, the fight, the pirates; especially the pirates. The two that came in were unlike any Trixie had the chance to see in her life. The way they had moved, the way they had taken out the others like it was nothing. It frightened her greatly out how easy they'd made it look, but nothing scared her more than how she felt. IT had made her feeling excited, like that was exactly the kind of thing she lived for. But she didn't, she never had experienced an event that in her life.

_I just need to go home_, she thought, feeling suddenly drained.

Trixie took a few more minutes to rest before standing and coming out of the alleyway._ I just need to go home_, she told herself over and over. She began walking down the cobblestone street, passing by very few people on her way. A married couple, some children, and an elderly person. The street she was on was barely ever inhabited , very few people had a business on this street, it was mostly a living area for most. This was her home, the worn down buildings, the rocky streets, the blue sky covered by smoke on other days. She had been down this street a few times before, but it was only to take the long way from work to home; there would be those days where home was the last place she wanted to be. But today was not one of those days.

"Over there!" Someone suddenly yelled behind her, causing her to turn. Some yards away stood Skip, the tall pirate who had attacked her at the bar, and a few of his men. Trixie stared in amazement. They were still alive?!

"Get er'!" He shouted, running towards her. The other men followed in pursuit, running down the street, straight for Trixie. For moment she stood there, unsure how to process the new situation she was thrown into. Again. _Gotta run_, she thought frantically, turning back and running down the street, trying to gain as much distance as possible. Her legs were already burning within her first minute of running. Because she had used up her stamina from her last run, she knew instantly she wouldn't last.

"Catch up! She's heading for the docks!" Skip yelled behind her. The docks, she thought to herself. She didn't realize she was heading to the docks until he had pointed it out. I can hide there, she thought, a small plan forming in her head. If she could find a small place to hide, like a wagon or behind some cargo, she knew she would be home free. Based on how these men acted they couldn't find something unless their lives depended on it. Trixie pushed herself harder and turned a corner, gaining even more distance between herself and the pirates.

"She's getting away!" One yelled. Almost there, Trixie convinced herself, trying to run even faster. Her legs were starting to feel like jello, her throat and burned hotly, and she was now beginning to get a cramp in her side.

She turned a corner and came face to face with a mountain of cargo; beyond it was the docks. Trixie was going to start running when she stopped and thought. Most of the barrels looked empty, she could hide in one. _Well if ya' can't hide behind it then hide in it_, she told herself, running to the closest barrel. She opened the top and found it empty. "She's around that corner!" Skip yelled, the sounds of their running stomps getting frighteningly closer. _Got no choice now_, Trixie thought as she climbed into the barrel, placing the lid on top. She sat down and pulled her knees to her chest, trying to feel as uncramped as possible. Should have chosen a bigger barrel she thought, trying to ignore how uncomfortable and squished she was in the barrel.

Trixie held still when the sound of footsteps could be heard right next to the barrel she was occupying. She covered her mouth with both hands, so frightened to take a breath. _Please don't find me_, she chanted in her mind over and over. She tried not to think about what would happen if they did find her, the pain and the anguish she would experience. They would take her away and she would never see her parents again.

"She can't have got far, spread out an' search!" Skip yelled. The sounds of footsteps got farther and farther away until all she heard was silence. "I should stay here a few more minutes just in case." She told herself quietly. Even though she couldn't hear them, that didn't mean that they weren't within eyes reach at the docks. She could climb out and one could be walking back the way they came. Then it would all be over.

"Is that the last one?" Someone suddenly asked, causing Trixie to freeze. Why didn't I hear them, she thought to herself, trying not to make a sound. Suddenly, her barrel shook slightly, causing her to push against the walls of the container to keep her balance. "Yeah, that's the last of em'. Come on lets go get some drinks; Cap'n won't mind as long as we're quick." The sounds of the two grew quieter until silence once greeted her. "Well, looks like they're gone." She said to herself. If she got out now and made a run for it, she had a straight shot to make it home before sundown. She would be safe.

_I'll hafta explain to the owner about today_, she told herself as she went to push the lid off. But when she pushed, it wouldn't budge. That's weird, she thought. She pushed on it even harder, but it still wouldn't move. She was trapped.

Uh oh...

Why won't it move, she questioned herself. They put something on top. Trixie sat there, sulking. Of course they put something on top, this was someone's cargo. People always stacked their cargo. Trixie mentally cursed herself for not thinking about it earlier. How would she get out if she was trapped. She could yell and scream for help till someone came to help her, but that would ruin her voice, and besides she didn't want to have to deal with people's questions of why she was in a barrel.

"I'll just hafta wait till they come back." She told herself.

As Trixie sat there, she let her mind wander and she began to think about what happened at the bar; specifically, the two men who came to her rescue. She had never seen anyone move like they do. Their movements were swift, accurate, and deadly. They made fighting look as easy as breathing. "Wish I could move like that." Trixie muttered.

Despite the way they fought, they were possibly the two most attractive men Trixie had ever seen. The one with the eye patch, Eduardo, seemed younger then he let off. The one known as Russell was just as handsome, but seemed younger in a way. But now that Trixie thought about it, was he using two swords? A man using one sword was normal most of the time, but a two sword fencer was another story. She saw the way he moved, the way he had a serious look on his face, but his eyes had held a different story. In his eyes, he held a certain sparkle; a sparkle that one would get from enjoyment. He had enjoyed the fight, and probably enjoyed the rest of it.

_Probably didn't last long cause since they still came after me_, Trixie thought to herself, feeling guilty suddenly.

As her thoughts continued to wander, Trixie's eye became heavier as she drifted in and out of consciousness. I have to stay awake, she told herself, but failed miserably. As she felt the claws of sleep begin to take her, the barrel moved. The small movement was enough to pull Trixie completely away from any trace of sleep and right into the hands of awareness. At first the barrel was still again, but then she felt herself being lifted and tilted sideways. Before she could make a noise, her head was slammed against the barrel so hard she began to see stars. Even though her head throbbed, she began to feel dizzy.

Within seconds, everything went black.

...

Hours later, Trixie awoke, her head throbbing terribly. "Ow." She muttered, lightly touching her head. Near the base of her hairline on the back of her neck was a large bump that hurt to even barely touch it with the tip of her fingers. She groaned and tried to move but felt restriction when she remembered she wasn't home. She was in a barrel. "Dammit." She cursed, pushing up on the lid of the barrel. This time it was a bit easier, but something was still on top; the weight felt like a small box. If she shoved hard enough, she would be able to push up.

Switching her position as best she can, Trixie was now kneeling on the balls of her feet, her arms braced above her head. She took a few deep breaths before coiling her muscles and springing up. She shoved up as hard as she could and felt the force of the box against her momentarily before it was pushed up by her strength. The lid fell off the barrel as Trixie shot up. However, the force of her push was too strong and caused her to lose her balance. The barrel tipped with Trixie and they both collided with the ground, hard. Because she couldn't catch herself on anything, her elbows and forearms took most of the impact, causing her to wince from the pain. "Ow." She groaned aloud.

Well thats one way to get out of a barrel, she thought to herself as she begin to remove herself from inside the barrel. Slowly she had dragged her lower half of her body out and brought herself on all fours, feeling the relief of of no longer being held in a cramped space. But before she could bring herself to rise from the ground, someone yelled, "What in the devil?!" Trixie froze and ever so slowly looked to her left. A very young man stood before her, a look of pure surprise on his face. He wore a bright white shirt with a red scarf fashioned like a sailor, baggy black capris that stopped just below his knees, and a pair of sandals that were strapped all the way around his calf. His hair was a golden bronze that reflected lightly in the small sun beams that peered in through the holes in the wall, his eyes a chocolate brown that were locked unto Trixie. He's cute, she suddenly thought, but forced herself to push back any thoughts of attraction due to her current situation.

"Um, hi." Trixie greeted sheepishly, waving her hand awkwardly.

"How'd ya get on our ship?" He suddenly demanded, furrowing his eyebrows in anger. Trixie stood instantly, her hands raised, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude! It was an accident! I was only trying to-"

"How did booze turn into a lady?"

Trixie froze and blinked a few times, "What?" She watched the boy in confusion as he turned away, his eyes clouded with confusion as he thought aloud to himself. "Oh boy, Nate isn't gonna like this." He mumbled, pacing back and forth. He seemed to be in his own world. Trixie sighed in defeat, "He's not even listening to me." She looked around to see if she could get any clue to where she currently was. The was a lot of cargo in this area, barrels in one corner with boxes snuggled next to it, rope baskets were hanging from the ceiling, and beams were standing all over the room. Where am I, she wondered, going to take a step when the room suddenly swayed. "Woah!" She exclaimed, holding onto the beam closest to her.

What was that, she wondered while regaining her balance. Suddenly remembering, she whirled around towards the boy and yelled, "Did you just say we are on a ship?!"

"Thomas, what's takin' ya so long? Bring me the booze!" Someone boomed from the other end of the room. But Trixie didn't hear, all she could think about was her new problem. A ship, how did I end up on a ship, she thought incredulously. Of all the places to wind up, she ended up on a ship, probably far from Yamato. What am I suppose to do now, she thought.

"I'll just ask the Captain!" She thought aloud, a smile coming unto her face. Maybe if she could explain things to the captain, he would be willing to turn the ship around and return her to Yamato. It was her only chance at this point. She whirled around and bumped right into the chest of another person. It wasn't the first one she met, it was another one, and this one was taller. She instantly froze, unsure if she should run or not. Just stay calm, she told herself as she slowly looked up past the chest towards the face.

A pair of murky brown eyes met with hers, making her pause in wonder. "A woman?" He said surprised, his eyebrows rising at the sight of her.

The man before her could only be described with one word: Gorgeous.

As they both stared at each other, Trixie's eyes scanned his whole form. He clad in a white short sleeve with a deep v-shaped collar line, revealing a light turquoise undershirt that was snuggled tightly to his chest, and black cloth wrapped around his wrist, almost reaching his elbow. Lower was a pair of dark grey pants with a small black apron wrapped around his waist. His belt was a chain. When Trixie actually looked at his face, she felt herself blush lightly. Oh my, she thought, backing away hastily. His face couldn't be described with any word possible, or at least Trixie couldn't think of one. He had a head of what could be described as a mossy brown hair hidden underneath a black bandanna.

"Woah," He repeated with wide eyes, "A woman?" Trixie back up until her back hit a beam, a blush coming unto her face. "I-I'm sorry," She stuttered, "I swear this was an accident!" The man before her took a few steps in her direction and stopped, placing his hands on his hips, and slightly leaning forward, his face closer to hers. _Oh god I feel my face heating up,_ she thought and looked anywhere but his gaze, which was thoroughly examining her. He stopped when he noticed an abnormally large bump on the back of her head the size of a massive marble. _Ouch, _he thought to himself, _that's gotta hurt_.

Straightening up, Nathan asked calmly, "How did ya' get on our ship?" Trixie turned to him, her blush gone, "Oh um, I was bein' chased by some men that had wrecked the bar I work at."

_A girl her age working at a bar_, Nathan thought incredulously. He never did like coming to Yamato, this was one of the many reasons why. Just to make it, people did anything to earn even the smallest amount of money.

Trixie took a breath and continued, "And when I ran, I hid in this barrel; but I didn't know it belonged to someone." She looked down at her feet and crossed her arms behind her back._ Poor girl,_ Thomas thought, feeling bad for her.

Suddenly, Nathan moved and picked the girl up easily by her waist, throwing her over his shoulder, and heading up to the deck. Trixie made a noise of surprise and exclaimed, "W-Wait, where are ya' taking me?! Please, I swear I didn't come onto your ship on purpose! I was just-"

"Stop barking like a dog! Fer chrissake's just keep quiet!" Nathan said harshly, causing Trixie to silence herself immediately. As he walked up the steps to the deck, Nathan looked around to check if someone else was on deck besides Eduardo who was at the helm, his attention stolen by the map in his hands. Luckily, no one else was. As Nathan walked across the deck, Thomas trailed behind him, wondering where he was taking the girl. The girl looked up at Thomas, who in return gave a smile, hoping to calm her nerves. If he were in her position, he would have been panicing as well.

Nathan moved to the back of the ship near the helm where two doors sat; the one on the right led to a hallway that held everyone's rooms and the one on the left led to the infirmary where he knew Christopher would be, since he spent most of his time there. Nathan walked and when he came within three feet of the door swung his leg up, kicking the door with enough force to make it open.

"W-What was that?" Trixie asked nervously, trying to turn her body so she could see what he was doing, but he kept a firm grip on her waist and replied, "Shut yer' yap fer another minute will ya'?" Once again, Trixie silenced herself and Nathan walked into the room, coming face to face with an annoyed doctor. "Nathan, how many times have I told you not to kick my door open?" Ignoring Christopher's comment, Nathan walked over to one of Christopher's tables and set the girl roughly atop it. "Ow..." She mumbled, rubbing her bottom. He could have at least set me down more gently.

"Doc," Nathan started, "You got a patient."

Trixie looked around the room she was in, taking in its features. In the room she was in, there were multiple bookcases that held few books and what mostly looked like bottles of medicine and other colored liquids. On the desk in the corner of the room had gauze and bandages atop it, along with a small stack of books. From where Trixie was sitting, there was a small part of the room that was cut off by a curtain which contained two other beds that Trixie recognized as sick beds. _Am I in a doctors office,_ she wondered.

"Oh my, this patient you brought me is rather pretty Nathan." Someone said, causing Trixie to turn her attention to the new stranger in the room. In between Nathan and Thomas stood a new person, another man. He had the skin color of chocolate, short cropped black hair that gave his skin a lighter color. His eyes were a dark brown that made Trixie think for a moment that she could get lost in them. He wore a long white sleeve shirt that was tucked under a big piece of blue fabric that was wrapped around his waist, being used as a belt for a pair tight fitting black pants. Around his neck was a golden chain, holding a dark blue pendent that shined with the slightest movement.

_Man, is this whole ship full of handsome men_, Trixie wondered, feeling slightly dizzy.

"I think she hit her head." Nathan stated, crossing his arms at his chest. Trixie stared for a moment in bewilderment. He saw it?

The man known as Christopher stepped forward, "Did she now?" He reached towards Trixie, lightly turning her head see he could take a look "Lemme see."

One of his fingers lightly touched the bump and Trixie flinched in pain, causing Christopher to pull his hand back and smile softly. "Sorry," He admitted, "I'm not used to treating girls since I don't see 'em very often."

"It's okay." Trixie assured him, blushing lightly.

Christopher searched around till he came back with a hand full of ice and a cloth. He wrapped the ice in the cloth and handed it to her, guiding it until it touched her bump. "Ow." Trixie said, holding the ice to her head till the pain was replaced with a numbing sensation, which helped clear the small headache she had. Christopher smiled, "There, the swelling should go down shortly."

Trixie nodded and glanced at Nathan, who in return was staring at her. His gaze was so intense she was forced to look away. _Why is he looking at me like that,_ she wondered.

Christopher rubbed the back of his neck, his expression downing somewhat. "You came onboard without knowin', sorry 'bout that." Trixie stared at Christopher with a confused expression. Did he feel sorry for her? Was that it? Is that why he sounds so sad?

Nathan huffed, "I'm goin' back to the kitchen. Doc, ya' take care of her till she can meet the Captain?"

Christopher nodded, his smile returning, "Will do."

Nathan moved to the door, turning back to glance at Trixie, before seeing himself out. Thomas watched momentarily before saying, "I better go help him." He smiled brightly at Trixie before heading to the door, exiting as well. Even though Christopher was there, Trixie suddenly felt extremely lonely.

Christopher stood next to her, lightly patting her shoulder with a smile. "Come on," He said, "You can sleep on one of the extra beds fer' now; when you wake up I'll take ya' to see the Captain." Trixie nodded lightly, keeping the ice on the back of her head. She hopped off the table and followed Christopher behind the curtain to where the sick beds were. She sat down on the bed in the corner and set the ice on the small bedside table next to her. Carefully, Trixie lay down on the bed, surprised with how cushiony it was for a sick bed, and made sure not to lay on her bump. Christopher laid a small quilt over her frame, smiling gently to her.

"Take a long rest, yer' safe here; I promise." Christopher assured her, blowing the small candle out that was resting on the bedside table. The room darkened considerably, but not too dark; Trixie could still see Christopher's face. "Thank you." She murmured, pulling the quilt up to her face. Christopher smiled and lightly patted her head. When her eyes closed, Christopher straightened himself and went back to his office, trying to think of a way to explain the situation to Captain Morgan.

...

Trixie groaned and rolled over, trying to lose herself in the hands of sleep; however, life had other plans apparently. The back of Trixie's head throbbed lightly and the memories of earlier suddenly came rushing back to her in heaps. Trixie shot up in the bed, the quilt flying off her upper body. She was in the sick bed on ship she had accidentally boarded. I was being chased when I hid in the barrel, she remembered, swinging her feet over the edge and leaning forward, her elbows resting on her knees as her head hung down. _It really happened_, she thought sadly to herself. She was no longer in Yamato, she was on a ship in the middle of the ocean with a bunch of strangers. Oh boy, she thought to herself.

What was she going to do now?

I should go find Christopher, she thought to herself. He probably knew what to do next. Trixie got up and stretched, feeling some of her sore muscles in her shoulders and back relax slightly. She walked over to the curtain and pulled it back, looking into the other part of the infirmary, and found it empty. Christopher was nowhere in sight. _Where is he_, she wondered as she headed for the door. But right as she wrapped her finger around the knob, the door was yanked open, pulling Trixie with it. She fell forward and collided with the wood ground. "Ow." She grumbled, trying to stand when suddenly she was yanked up roughly by her wrist.

"A woman?!" Someone exclaimed. Trixie looked and came face to face with the two sworded fencer, Russell, who had an angry look in his eyes. "How did ya' get on our ship?!"

She froze with free, unable to search her brain for the answer. What was she supposed to say? What SHOULD she say? What should she do?

Russell gripped her wrist tighter and said coldly, "I asked ya' a question," he reached for the hilt of one of his blades with his free hand, "So don't make me repeat myself."

Her fear screamed in her mind, but her instincts screamed louder.

_Time to run.._

Everything that happened next was too fast for Trixie to understand.

Trixie's free hand flew up at lightning speed and smacked across Russell's cheek, hard. Russell instantly released Trixie's wrist to hold his swollen cheek, gritting his teeth against the pain. Before he had a chance to recover, Trixie ran away. "Hey!" He yelled, running after her; his shout had drawn the attention of Eduardo at the helm, who looked down at Russell then at Trixie, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. _A stowaway_, he thought, reaching for the long ranged rifle behind him against the wall.

Trixie ran to the front of the ship, her legs feeling light as feathers. She was grateful Christopher made her take a rest otherwise she wouldn't have been able to run as fast as she was now. "Hey, stop!" Russell yelled behind her, but she didn't bother to look back; all she could do was let her instincts take over. _Keeping running_, her mind screamed, refusing to let her slow down even a bit. But once she reached the front of the ship, she had nowhere to go. She turned around and saw Russell running towards her, slowing down as he got closer. He stopped when he was a few yards away from her, his eyebrows creased in anger, "Nowhere to run now." he yelled. Trixie frantically looked around for any possible escape route that would help her out in this mess. As Trixie scanned the right, she noticed a pile of stacked cargo; beyond that was a long rope that swayed lightly in the breeze; it was tied to the foremast. As Trixie looked on, she noticed two other ropes; one tied to the main mast and another tied to the mizzenmast. A clear shot across the ship

Bingo...

When Russell dove to Trixie, she dropped to her knees, like at the bar, and felt as Russell tripped over her, colliding harshly with the ground. He grunted in pain and forced himself up to all fours and turned just in time to watch Trixie jump to her feet and begin running again.

Trixie ran to the cargo and instantly felt as if she were being chased again, so she kicked into high-gear. When the cargo was a few feet from her, she coiled her muscles in her legs and sprung up, jumping onto the first cargo box. When she regained her balance, she began climbing the pile like a crooked staircase, slowly making her way towards the top. After a few seconds, she was standing at the top, and began to reach for the rope that was just out of her reach. The box she was standing on was smaller than the ones she had climbed; one step in any direction and she would fall off all the way to the bottom. Just a little more, she told herself, stretching as far as she could.

"Get back here!" Russell yelled. Trixie made the mistake of looking behind her down at Russell, who was more than half way up the stack of cargo. Without thinking, Trixie jumped forward and latched onto the rope. She flew forward, the rope swinging across the deck.

The rope began to wrap slowly around the foremast and she turned, the rope hanging from the mainmast coming closer. _I need more speed_, she thought. Gripping the rope tighter, Trixie swung her legs forward, causing her to gain more speed. When the rope around the mainmast was within a foot of her reach, she released the rope she was grasping and fell a few inches before she clutched onto the new rope. She swung her legs forward and she sailed through the air, heading closer to the back of the ship.

Trixie knew she should have been afraid; she was swinging on a rope thirty feet in the air, but she felt calm. No, it was more than that. She felt alive. Swinging on a rope was bringing her a strange giddiness that she had never felt before. The cold air against her face, the motion and swaying with the rope; these were all new experiences she had never done before, and yet they felt natural. She was surprised she hadn't pummeled to the ground yet.

From the commotion on the deck, Christopher and Thomas had come up from under the deck, looking around until there eyes fell on Russell who was at the bow of the ship, his eyes looking up and wide with shock. While Thomas stood wondering what he was looking at, Christopher followed his line of gaze and felt his jaw drop. Trixie was grasping a rope from the mainmast, swinging through the air towards the back of the ship. _Incredible_, he thought as he watched her. She was going so fast it was almost unreal.

Trixie felt the rope begin to wrap around the mainmast, so she directed her swing towards the mizzenmast at the back of the ship. When it was within her grasp, Trixie released the rope and grabbed the new one before her, swinging faster. Almost there, she thought, swinging herself harder towards the helm. Right as she past over the rail, a gunshot rang out loudly, and suddenly she was falling.

"What?!" She yelled in surprise, feeling herself fall through the air.

She didn't have time to scream before the poop deck met her body. She landed flat on her back, the wind instantly thrown out of her. Trixie made a sound of pain and surprise mixed together, arching her back from impact. After a few moments, she rolled over onto her side, slowly forcing herself to her elbows. Her shoulders were aching and her spine felt absolutely horrid. "Ow.." She mumbled, trying to ignore the pain.

Christopher broke into a run for the poop deck but stopped at the foot of the stairs when he realized she wasn't alone.

Someone's hearty laughed filled the sky and Trixie looked up. Before her stood two men; one was the eye patched man known as Eduardo. _He's on here too_, she thought incredulously.

But the one who instantly stole her attention was the man standing in front of Eduardo. He wore a maroon tail coat over his shoulders that went right under his knees, a white baggy shirt with a v-shaped neck that showed his chest which was adorned with gems in all kinds of colors. His leather boots went up past his knees over his black pants, right under the golden sash that was being used as a belt for his sheathed sword that curved the whole way.

His face was tanner than anyone else on the ship, a goatee on his chin the color of a tree bark brown. Brown hair that covered his ears completely was hidden under a red bandanna and a big black hat that captains wear, feathers flowing down the side.

It took Trixie a moment to realize she was staring. It took her even longer to notice he was holding a rifle over his shoulder, smoke coming out of the nozzle. Was he the one who made the shot, Trixie wondered. he head flew around to where the rope was tied around the mizzenmast; sure enough it was cut and shortened. He shot the rope, she realized incredulously, turning her attention slowly back to the man before her.

He looked down at Trixie's form and smiled. "Well," He mused aloud, "That was some exciting entertainment if I do say so myself."

**Hey guys! Here is the second chapter of my story! I just want to thank those who read my story and follow or favorite it! It motivates me to keep writing. I also want to thank ShadeWing31 for editing and helping me! I look forward to working with you! Oh and here are some phrases for clarification in case you didn't know what they were:**

**Foremast=The big wood part that holds up the front sail**

**Mizzenmast= The big wood part that holds up the back sail.**

**Helm= Ship's steering wheel.**

**Poop deck= the back part of the ship where the helm is that is risen from the deck.**

**Thanks again for reading! Please R&R:)**


	4. Captain's Announcement

_Eduardo spotted the girl running from Russell towards the stack of cargo and aimed his rifle carefully. As he watched her climb, he thought momentarily that she looked oddly familiar, but he ignored the thought when the girl suddenly jumped and grabbed the swinging rope attached to the foremast._

_Gotta' be quick, he thought as his finger hovered over the trigger. When the girl swung around and latched onto a rope that was hanging from the mainmast, Eduardo was about to pull the trigger when someone put a hand over the muzzle, forcing it down slowly so Eduardo couldn't fire._

_Eduardo stood in shock as Captain Morgan stood next to him, watching the girl with a smile growing on his face. "Captain..." Eduardo spoke, wondering about his captain's actions. He didn't want Eduardo to shot the girl. Why wouldn't he let him shoot? Well, the answer was simple. He wanted her alive._

_"Eduardo," Captain Morgan said suddenly, "Lemme see if I can take a shot."_

_Eduardo nodded and handed the rifle to Captain Morgan, who instantly moved to a firing position. What is he doing, Eduardo wondered as he watched the captain. Closing one eye, Captain Morgan aimed carefully as the girl swung closer and closer to them, completely oblivious that she was being aimed at. Come on just a little closer, Captain Morgan thought to himself as he moved his aim from her face to above her head. She released the rope and grasped the new rope attached to the mizzenmast and headed straight for them. Right as she was about to swing above them, Captain Morgan fired a single. The bullet struck home and the rope instantly split, causing the girl to fall._

_H-He aimed for the rope, Eduardo thought incredulously, his jaw opened slightly from the sight. A moving target was hard enough to hit but a moving target THAT small was nearly impossible. Eduardo knew he could have made the shot but at the same time he knew he wouldn't have made it on the FIRST shot._

_The girl landed harshly on the wood deck flat on her back, an expression of pain coming across her face. Bingo, Captain Morgan thought as he walked over to her, Eduardo trailing closely behind._

_..._

"So," Captain Morgan said aloud, crouching down so he was eye level with Trixie, "Yer' the one who's causin' trouble on my ship."

Trixie gulped unconsciously and tried to find the words to say something, anything that would help her communicate. She instantly knew that the man before her was the Captain himself. He was attractive, in fact he was extremely handsome, however the aura he was giving off was so powerfully intense Trixie felt herself shiver. What do I say, she asked herself, and she wasn't surprised when she got no answer.

Eduardo smirked and crossed his arms at his chest, "I think she's speechless Cap'n." Trixie shifted her gaze to Eduardo, glaring momentarily, before the Captain's hearty laugh bellowed across the ship, stealing her attention once again. "Of what? My good looks or the fall she just took?" Eduardo chuckled slightly, his eyes scanning Trixie's form. Why did she look familiar?

Footsteps sounded behind them and Christopher walked forward, passing Captain Morgan and Eduardo, and went straight for Trixie. He held his hand out, a smile on his face. He did his best to reassure the girl she was in no danger with Captain Morgan in their presence. She looked at Christopher's hand, caution clearly written in her eyes. She reached for his hand hesitantly, pausing slightly before giving in and taking his hand. Unlike the two men that were staring at her, Trixie trusted Christopher more than them. With a small smile, Christopher helped Trixie to her feet.

"Did you hit the back of your head?" Christopher asked, looking at the back of her head. The bump had gone down considerably; however it was still visible to the average eye. Trixie shook her head, "No, but I can't say the same thing for my back." She rubbed her lower back and winced slightly; the pain from her sudden fall still present in certain areas. _That's going to hurt in the morning_, she thought.

Captain Morgan cleared his throat, "I don't think ya introduced me to yer' new friend yet Christopher."

Christopher moved to the side so the Captain and Trixie were facing each other. "Cap'n," Christopher started, "This young lady is Trixie. She accidentally boarded our ship and well..." Christopher rubbed the back of his head. He didn't need to explain more than he had to. Captain Morgan jerked his chin in her direction, "So yer' from Yamato?" Trixie nodded stiffly, "Yes'm."

"Interesting." Captain Morgan spoke before going silent for a moment, deep in thought.

Trixie stared awkwardly at the ground, shuffling her feet. What is he thinking, she wondered as the silence continued.

Eduardo stared at Trixie, his hand at his chin. Where is she from, he wondered. _Where have I seen her before?_

Her outfit seemed familiar, but it was her hair and eyes that really nagged at his memory though. He thought back to someone of the people he took notice of in Yamato, to see if any of the images in his memory matched. There was a gorgeous blonde lady working at a sweets stand, a rough looking man selling fish at the market, a chair crashing through a window...

_Wait a second?!_

_She was the girl from the bar attack!_

The last thing he remembered about her was the image of her pressed atop the counter with two men before her, the unbelievable amount of fear in her eyes, and then the overwhelming need to save her.

Now that he thought about it, that feeling made no sense to him at all.

_Must've been out of pity,_ he thought.

"I remember you," He said out loud, his arms falling to his sides. Trixie lifted her gaze and her eyes fell onto Eduardo, widening slightly in surprise. "You just remembered now?" She asked amazed. It really took him that long to remember her when they had only met hours ago. She had remembered him perfectly fine when she first saw him minutes ago.

Eduardo frowned at Trixie, pulled out his pistol, and held it close to his face, "I don't like yer' tone missy; wanna run that by me again?"

Trixie tensed slightly and Christopher noticed. _Poor girl_, he thought as he stepped slightly in front of her. "Hey come on, don't frighten her like that."

"Where is the bitch?!" Russell yelled, running up the stairs to the poop deck. "I'm gonna cut her t' pieces!" Uh oh, Trixie thought as she went to run over to the railing, but the click of a gun held her still. Eduardo's pistol was aimed carefully at her head, his eyes narrow, "Take another step and a bullet will embed in yer' skull."

Trixie froze as she stared at him, fear creeping up her spine. This man was unbelievable; first he saves her from a bar attack, then he threatens to shoot her more than once. He was all over the place. Trixie knew instantly that is she had the choice of walking the plank and having to deal with this man's attitude for another minute, she would take the plank.

Russell finally made it to the top and his eye's instantly locked unto Trixie, his brow furrowing in anger. "You," he snarled, "I'm gonna tear ya limb from limb!" The girl made him look like a fool, it was time for revenge. He broke into a full sprint in Trixie's direction, his hands on his swords. He was dead serious. Instead of running, since she knew she wouldn't get far, Trixie remained frozen in her spot and stood her ground. Even though the fear was overwhelming, she forced herself to focus. At the speed he was, if she dropped down and curled into a ball, he would easily trip over and hit his head on the deck; just like the pirate at the bar. Every step he took seemed like a eternity, but before she knew it he was almost upon her. She watched as he ran closer and closer. Here he comes, she thought as she braced herself.

Before Russell could even reach his destination, Trixie watched as Russell went from a full sprint to going face-first into the wood floor; his head a few inches from her feet.

"W-what?!" Trixie studdered, taking a step back.

"First ya' steal my food, then ya' have the nerve to run away n' play goose chase with Doc's patient."

Trixie looked towards the staircase to see Nathan coming up the last step, gripping a strange weapon in his hand that looked similar to a sickle; a chain leading from the bottom of the handle and ending wrapped around Russell's ankle. He yanked his ankle back and made him fall, Trixie realized, feeling a wave of relief wash over her, and fell to her knees. She thought she couldl kiss Nathan at that moment, but then blushed when she realized what she was thinking.

"Are you alright?" Christopher asked concerned, grabbing her gently by the elbows to help her up. She nodded and raised herself to her feet, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Nathan walked over and stepped on Russell's back, his heel digging in. He leaned forward, talking down to him, "Sneak food from my kitchen again and just watch what happens."

Russell groaned in response, his head barely moving. Nathan nodded in satisfaction and lifted his foot off of Russell, moving his gaze over to where Trixie stood, Christopher slightly supporting her. The sight of Christopher that close to the girl made Nathan feel a strange twinge in his chest, which he immediately ignored as soon as he felt it.

"Thank you." She said loud enough for him to hear. Nathan simply nodded.

Suddenly, a husky laugh echoed across the deck of the ship.

Every set of eyes looked over at Captain Morgan; even Russell turned his head up to look at him from down on the floor.

"That was some entertainment!" Captain Morgan exclaimed. He threw the rifle he was holding behind him towards Eduardo, who caught it single-handedly that same moment. Captain Morgan crossed his arms at his chest, his eyes locked on Trixie. "Woman, I like your style."

He began walking in her direction, taking his sweet time as he looked her over. Good legs that looked normal sized for a woman but he could tell every ounce was made of muscle. Her upper body was slender; her waist small enough to wrap his arm around, emphasizing the chest that she had. Her arms looked small but at the same time they were more muscular than they were thought to be; he could see it when she held herself up on the rope, swinging around. Her raven hair matched the sea at night, swaying at the slightest breeze it came across. What caught him most was the look in her eyes. She was full of a spirit that no man could tame; like a blue flame when the fire gets hotter. Though her eyes color was like ice, he could see that burning flame beneath them; like a flame forever frozen in ice.

_Who is this girl_, he wondered, a smile still on his face.

Suddenly, he moved between Trixie and Christopher, throwing an arm around her shoulders. He's acting like he's known me for years, thought Trixie. She felt slightly uncomfortable with a strangers arm around her, but it was the Captain and she had a feeling that it was better to stay still than to move. "I have decided; this woman is now a member of Sirius!" Captain Morgan announced.

Silence...

Captain Morgan looked around to see every set of eyes on him once again; he saw many looks of shock, surprise, and even a hint of insanity. They were all speechless.

Until they all started yelling at the same time.

...

People crowded around the bar, staring and taking turns peeking through the busted window that was barely covered by a hung up sheet. The glass had been swept up and discarded elsewhere so no one walking by would be hurt. The murmurs grew louder and louder until everyone was talking over each other, telling their versions of what had occurred earlier that morning.

"I heard the manager got extremely angry at his employee."

"No, I heard it was the employee that got mad."

"No, no yer' both wrong! It was a pirate that got angry. Girl didn't open the bar to him so he got upset."

At the edge of the crowd, a small boy with a book in his hand tried to squeeze himself through the throng of people. After a few moments of struggle, he managed to get to the front to see the condition of the bar. His heart dropped in his chest at the sight before him. The front window was completely smashed, the inside of the bar was a wreck. Chairs were in pieces from hunk to splinter size. The tables were either flipped over or tipped to the side from a broke leg. The shelves were completely cleared of any sign of rum or booze.

His sister nowhere in sight.

"Trixie, where are you?" He whispered worriedly to himself. The barkeeper stepped outside, navy officers close behind him. The man had a grim look about his face. "Sir we will do everything we can; however there is not much to go on so it will take some time." One of the navy officers informed the man. He nodded, rubbing the back of his head. The boy stepped forward, slowly getting closer to the bar keeper. As the navy officers walked away, the man took notice of the boy, his eyebrows rising slightly. "Timothy," The man breathed, "What are you doing here?"

"Where is my sister?" The boy, Timothy, questioned. If anyone would know where Trixie was, it would be her own boss. However, the bar keeper looked down at his feet, turning silent.

Timothy stepped closer, his voice becoming firm as he asked again, "Where is Trixie?"

The man glanced at Timothy once before looking at the ground once again, shaking his head. That was his reply.

The boy trembled terribly as he shook his head, refusing to accept reality. His sister couldn't be missing, no she was simply out late with her friends; it was the only option.

_I have to find her._ he thought. The boy suddenly broke into a run, going down the street yelling his sister's name. "Trixie! Trixie, where are you?!"

As the boy ran, he was unaware of a cloaked man sitting in another bar some ways down the street from where Timothy had come from. He set his pint down on the table he was occupying and watched as the boy went from person to person, asking them all the same question.

"Have you seen my sister?"

"Do you know where Trixie is?"

Silly boy, he thought as he chugged the pint of booze. But suddenly the man froze, the name 'Trixie' ringing multiple bells in his head. A new found motivation set his heart racing at the thought of finally finding what he had been searching for these past years. _She's here, _he thought, rising instantly to his feet. Trixie was here on the island; his search was about to come to an end. He turned in the direction of the boy, who was leaning against a building to catch his breath. He took a step towards the boy, but he suddenly straightened himself, determination and desperation burning in his eyes. "Trixie...where are you?" The boy said aloud before continuing his jog down the street.

Leaving a few coins on the table, the man pulled his hat down over his eyes and stepped out onto the street, his eyes following after the boy as he ran further and further away. "Where indeed?" The man mused aloud, a smile coming to his lips.

...

"Cap'n you can't be serious?!" Russell protested, coming to his feet. His forehead was red from his fall, however he was too focused on Captain Morgan's announcement to feel any pain that might have come with it.

"Are ya' crazy Cap'n? We don't have women on our ship fer' a reason." Said Nathan, leaning against the rail. He glanced at Trixie and saw the girl in a state of shock. Her eyes were wide with surprise, her lips in a firm line as if she were holding in a scream. Her legs were shaking lightly enough it wasn't noticable unless you looked. He instantly for sorry for the girl, which proved the point of why women were never on the ship in the first place.

"Captain, we can't do that to Trixie. She has a family of her own to think about back in Yamato." Christopher stated, lightly putting his arm around the girls shoulders. He could feel her shaking in his light grip and he only tightened his grip on the girl; if she fainted again he wanted to be able to catch her.

Captain Morgan shook his head, "I made up my made and that's final. Whether or not the girl wants t' stay is her choice; however she has no means t' get back so I don't think she's gotta choice."

Eduardo pointed his pistol at the girl, aiming for her heart, "Well I don't see why we hafta' carry this deadweight when she doesn't wanna be here" His gun still pointed at her, Eduardo walked over to the girl, a smirk coming onto his lips. The girl payed no attention to him once so ever; she was lost in a flurry of thoughts.

_I'm on the Sirius ship; THE Sirius ship,_ she thought over and over. This can't be real; I'm in a dream and I have to wake up. Her situation went from bad to worse. She was on a ship full of pirates who weren't going to take her home; instead they were going to make her one of them. Next on the list would be piercings or tattoos to prove it. She felt herself unconsciously gulp. What was she going to do? I could run away, she thought, but the idea instantly buried itself under a hill of doubt. How would she get of the ship? She could steal a lifeboat in the middle of the night, but even if she managed that, she didn't know which way went back to Yamato. It was no good, no matter how she looked at it. She was stuck on this ship.

A strong grip on her wrist pulled her from her thoughts and she yanked her wrist away by reflex. She looked up to see a irritated Eduardo looking at her, a pistol pressed against her chest. Her heartbeat was rapidly pounding in her chest. She could feel the fear crawl up her spine, sending shivers down her back. What was she going to do? "Well," He asked, "What's it gonna be missy?"

Trixie felt as if she couldn't breathe, her breath caught in her throat. Why couldn't she speak? What was she even going to say?

Eduardo smirked, "Cap'n the girl can't even speak fer' herself. You sure ya' want this girl on Sirius?" Captain Morgan nodded, "I bet everything I've got that she will make a fine member."

Eduardo stared at Captain Morgan before sighing, putting his pistol back in it's holster. "Guess the fun's over then."

Trixie blinked a couple of times, "W-what?" She looked at Christopher, who was simply smiling, "About time you stopped scaring her. No more jokes like that Eduardo, nearing scared the girl to death if you ask me." Eduardo returned to the helm, "I didn't say something too scary Doc; yer' just too soft on the girl."

Russell yawned and stretched, "What are we gonna do with a scrawny brat anyway? It's not like she can carry any heavy loads."

Nathan nodded, "That's true, she don't look like those big women Eduardo are into."

Eduardo chuckled, "Aw hell, we'll just give er' a lot to do. I could use a break from my chores." Russell and Thomas laughed lightly at his comment. It was true, even if the girl couldn't lift heavy objects, she could still clean everything they told her to.

"Alright, that means I'm not the youngest member!" Thomas exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in excitement. Eduardo simply shook his head, "Don't get the wrong idea Thomas; yer' still at the bottom of the totem pole."

Captain Morgan smiled at the sight of the two men, they were like brothers. He treated his whole crew like they were his family and he had every intention to do the same for Trixie. Captain Morgan was well aware that he was forcing the girl to give up the chance of seeing her family, but he knew that after awhile he and the rest of the men would be able to fill up that hole in her heart eventually; it depended on whether or not the girl would allow herself to open up.

"Captain Morgan?"

Captain Morgan looked over at Trixie, who had stepped forward away from Christopher. He smiled, "Yes?" Trixie unconsciously gulped, hesitantly with whether or not she was going to make the right decision. However in light of the situation, she understood that even though the Captain seemed to be a good man so far, pirates rarely ever went back to where they last visited anyway. So either she declined their offer and struggled to get to Yamato herself, or she remained with Sirius and let things play out by themselves.

"Captain, you won't be returning to Yamato anytime soon, will you?" She asked, trying to diminish any piece of hope for the answer she wished even though she knew what he was going to say. He simply shook his head, "I have plans to do so for awhile, but that doesn't mean I won't ever visit again." Trixie's heart instantly warmed to his words, a genuine smile forming on her lips. She would return home someday; not as soon as one would wish, but in the near future.

Suddenly, she reached out and took Captain Morgan's hand, shaking it roughly. The Captain jumped slightly and held onto his hat so it wouldn't fall off from how hard she shook. "Captain Morgan, it would be an honor to be a member of the Sirius crew!" She exclaimed, any hint or doubt instantly erased from her eyes. Everyone was surprised at how eager and willing she was to accept the offer; even Christopher was a little caught off guard from the girl's change of heart.

Nathan remained where he was standing, watching the girl closely. She seemed happy and ready to join the crew; however from his own experience, he knew she would probably still feel a little pain later from her decision. This girl better prepare herself, he thought as he crossed his arms at his chest.

When Trixie finally released Captain Morgan's hand, he was quick to cross his arms at his chest so she wouldn't catch him off guard the next time.

He cleared his throat, "However, we don't have room for ya."

Trixie's face slightly dropped at the news, "No room?"

He nodded, "Don't worry, it just means ya' gotta share a room with one of us."

It took a moment to realize everytime Trixie hears something that surprises her, she would forget how to breathe momentarily, which was never good because that meant there might be a chance where she would stop breathing altogether.

"I'll be generous and let ya' choose fer' yerself," He told her, walking over and putting a hand on her lower back, gently pushing her to face the group of men, "Who do ya' want to share a room with?"

All sets of eyes were on her as they waited for her answer. Who was she going to choose.

Trixie thought for a moment, remembering the days previous events and how each person reacted to her.

The first two people she met were Eduardo and Russell. Eduardo was strong and would come through for someone when the time came, but he didn't seem to found of the idea of a female member of Sirius; he didn't even seem to like Trixie herself. _I will probably hafta watch myself around him,_ Trixie thought.

Russell seemed tough and strong headed; he held his pride very high. He didn't seem to like Trixie either, but at the same time he had unconsciously rescued her at the bar before shoving her out the door. I_ will hafta make nice with him if I ever want to be on his good side,_ she thought.

Christopher seemed like the ideal person; he was smart, kind, and didn't seem to mind Trixie's presence at all. However, Trixie was always taught never to impose on someone's kindness too long if you wanted it to last.

Thomas seemed nice as well, however she didn't know him too well to decide whether or not he was among the options.

Then she looked at Nathan, who had been standing in the same spot the whole time during the session. His eye's staring were already on her when she made contact, sending pleasant shivers down her spine. What was it about him that made him seem different from the others. Everyone was special in their own way, but for some odd reason her caught her eye more than the rest. He didn't kill me when he first met me, she thought. Instead of killing her, he took her to Christopher to get checked out, and not to mention when Russell was about to attack her, he saved her by tripping him; even if it wasn't for her.

"Well," Captain Morgan asked, "What's yer' decision Trixie?"

She felt hesitant, but she took a deep breath and replied, "I choose..."

**Total Cliffhanger! LOL Well don't be upset I just thought it would be a good place to end the chapter. Besides, I think we all know who she is going to choose...Or do we? LOL**

**Please R&R! They are my motivation to keep writing this story. **

**I tried to stick to the original story a bit, but at the same time if it were exactly the same I don't think you guys would be reading it LOL so I put my own twist on it.**

**Again, thank you for reading this story!**


	5. Giving a Hand

"Come on in." Eduardo told Trixie, opening the door to his room and moving to the side, allowing her to enter. Trixie looked around the room, taking it in. The room itself was very simple; a bed shoved in the far right corner, a desk next to the bed, and a dresser at the far left corner with a small chest atop it. She didn't know what it was but the room itself just felt very empty; or maybe it was just the fact that her mood became spoiled because of the previous events of the night.

_A little while ago..._

_ Trixie felt hesitant, but she took a deep breath and replied, "I choose-"_

_ "Hold it." Eduardo interupted. Trixie ceased speaking and turned her head in his direction, as did everyone else on the poop deck. Captain Morgan shifted his feet and asked, "You got something ya' wanna say Eduardo?" _

_ Eduardo looked straight at Trixie, his gaze so intense she looked away. Why is he looking at me like that, she wondered as she felt her face become flushed. She was used to stares; she worked at bar for crying out loud! However, most of those men would be drunk and not realize they were staring. Eduardo was perfectly sober and fully aware of the fact, so it held a different feeling that made Trixie feel slightly uncomfortable. _

_ Eduardo stepped forward until he was only a few feet from Trixie and stopped, his gaze never leaving her face. For some odd reason, he felt he had a change of heart. He wanted to be roommates with the girl instead. He noticed as she was making her decision she stared momentarily at Nathan, the look in her eyes saying he was her answer. But Eduardo felt himself irritated with the thought. Why would she choose him? Why not someone else? Why not Eduardo himself?_

_ What is wrong with me, he thought angrily. Never had he been this way over a woman he just met; normally he wouldn't give a rats ass about what this girl thought and he proved that thought when he pointed his gun at her. But when it came down to it, he suddenly became interested in what the girl thought. Maybe I'm just curious to know more about her, he thought. _

_ "I will be roommates with er'." He answered loud enough for the whole crew to hear. He saw Trixie tense up, her shoulders becoming stiff. That reaction told him that he was clearly the last choice in her mind. _

_ Captain Morgan raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Had a change of heart now did ya'?" Everyone was just as surprised as Captain Morgan by Eduardo's words. He didn't seem to show any type of interest in the girl at all; Captain Morgan knew that if he hadn't stopped Eduardo, he would have shot Trixie down and probably killed her. _

_ Eduardo met the Captain's gaze, "What's it to ya'? Disaprove or somethin'?" Captain Morgan shook his head and replied, "Not in the least; its just up t' Trixie whether r' not she wants t' be yer' roommate."_

_ Everyone shifted their gaze from Eduardo to Trixie, waiting for the girls response. No one but Christopher could tell that the girl was clearly uncomfortable with the idea yet who wouldn't be; if he were in her shoes Christopher wouldn't want to be in the same room with Eduardo every night after he had pointed a gun at her more than once. _

_ Trixie stood there, unsure as to what she should do. If she said no, Eduardo would be offended and it would seem childish of her to seem picky when they were being kind enough to let her even stay in a room instead of making her sleep outside. Some pirate's on ships had to sleep outside because there was never any room or someone just didn't want to share the extra space they had. But if she said yes...well who knew what would happen. Based on his attitude towards to her earlier, he wouldn't hesitate to end her in one shot if she gave him any trouble, and she wasn't really one to play loyal dog just to make someone happy; but if it were to keep her head on her body another day she might have to do just that. _

_ She glanced at Nathan and found him staring at her, waiting patiently for her answer. It seemed as if he were waiting for her to do something; something other than answer the question. But what? Trixie deeply wanted to room with Nathan; she felt she would feel safer with him than anyone else, even if her presense wasn't actually of any use to him. _

_ I can't be selfish, she told herself as she looked up to reply, "It's fine Captain Morgan, I don't mind." _

_ He nodded in approval and replied, "Alright then, Trixie will room with Eduardo." Eduardo nodded and took Trixie by the arm, pulling her away towards the stairs. "Come on." He ordered when she wasn't showing any sign of keeping up herself. Trixie looked down at the ground as she walked, not wanting anyone to see her expression. She didn't know why, but she felt as if she made the wrong choice. Why am I feeling this way, she asked her heart. It was never like her to be this way; so childish and selfish at the same time. So what if she wanted to room with Nathan? So what if she couldn't get her way? She was on a ship full of men that were above her in everyway; her opinion and her feelings didn't matter._

_ Nathan watched as Eduardo pulled Trixie away by the arm, feeling a bit sorry for the girl . She was in for more than she bargained for. Eduardo wasn't really a playboy, but at the same time he wasn't clueless in the ways of what happened in a bed. If he tried to make a pass at her and didn't notice, he would make it known to her. But at the same time Nathan knew Eduardo wasn't one to force a girl if she didn't share an interest, so would probably harass her a lot when no one was looking. _

_ As Eduardo and Trixie passed by Nathan, he noticed they way Trixie refused to look up and keep her gaze on the ground so her bangs covered her eyes. She didn't like her decision; the way her lips trembled slightly showed she regretted her decision. She didn't want to room with Eduardo, so why wasn't she saying anything? Nathan did his best to surpress the urge to grab her by the arm and ask the question himself. It wasn't any of his business to begin with; the fact she wasn't saying anything was her fault and not his. Even so, Nathan felt a strange sensation in his chest as she walked away. The sensation of once being full and now becomimg empty. He didn't notice it, but the further away she walked the more empty he became._

...

"Go 'head and get t' bed." Eduardo ordered, nodding towards the full sized bed in the corner. Trixie's eyes widened, "Oh no, Eduardo I can't take your bed! I will sleep on the floor." Despite Trixie's plea, Eduardo narrowed his eye's. "Don't make repeat m'self." He said with an irriated tone and walked away, slamming the door behind him. He was already upset with her and it hadn't even been ten minutes.

Sighing, Trixie walked towards the desk with small interest. Atop it was a log book with nothing written; it seemed brand new based the touch of the leather. It wasn't wore or ripped in any place. "I wonder why he got a log book if he wasn't going to use it?" She said aloud, not caring if someone heard her through the door. Although that would be rather strange to her if someone was listening on the other side of the door.

Moving away from the desk, she moved over to the dresser with the chest on top. She gently grasped the top and went to lift the lid but found it locked tight. Trixie instantly assumed it was full personal belongings that she wasn't meant to see. "Well who could blame him for wanting privacy." She mumbled. On a ship full of men, one probably didn't get as much privacy as they wished, so being the only female on ship now it was probably going to be worse for Trixie.

A knock on the door drew Trixie from her thoughts, causing her brow to furrow in curiousity. "I wonder who that could be?" She said quietly as she went to the door. It surprised her that some of these men had the decency to knock. And it surprised her even more so when she opened the door to find Nathan standing out in the hall with a small pile of folded blankets. "N-nathan? What are you doing here?" Trixie asked, cursing herself for studdering. Nathan's eyebrow raised slightly in surprise due to the fact he hadn't expect Trixie to answer the door, but quickly returned to nuetral. "Doc asked me to give these to Eduardo since yer' stayin' in his room now. He figured Eduardo would be givin' ya' his bed."

Trixie felt her face fall as she replied, "Actually, I'll be sleeping on the floor."

This time Nathan allowed his eyebrows to shoot up. "What, did he give ya' the floor instead?" He asked. Even though Eduardo was mean at times, he didn't think he was going to be mean enough to make a girl sleep on the floor.

Trixie shook her head, "No he gave me the bed, I'm just choosing to sleep on the floor since it's his room." The girls answer surprised Nathan slightly. He didn't know why, but it did. "Why take the floor then when he offered ya' the bed?" Trixie turned and looked back at the bed as she replied, "He was generous enough to let me be in the same room even though I know he doesn't like me; I don't want to abuse that generousity even though it was offered."

Nathan stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't get you." He mumbled under his breath. Trixie looked at him curiously, "Did you say something?" He quickly shook his head, "Forget it." He shoved the blankets into her arms and said, "Bundle up, the floor can be pretty cold at night." With that, Nathan turned on his heel and walked down the hall towards his room. Trixie stared after him for a few seconds before retreating back inside the room, closing the door behind her.

...

Eduardo came back in his room a half hour later, stretching his arms before opening his door. "She's probably asleep." He mumbled to himself as he pushed the door open. His eyes instantly went to his bed which he found, to his surprise, to be empty. "The hell?" He whispered and looked to his right. Lying on the ground bundled in blankets was Trixie, sound asleep already dreaming. He scratched the back on his head on frustration, forcing himself not to pick the girl up and throw her on the bed. He tried to be nice but clearly that didn't work on her.

Why did I want to be rommates with her in the first place, he asked himself.

Eduardo tried to think of anything that would explain his reason for showing an interest in the girl, but he could think of nothing. The girl did have some eye catching features, but so did the women he would entertain himself with at the brothels he would visit. Now those were some eye catching women; fully matured and drop dead gorgeous, not to mention the skills he would get to see whenever he spent the night.

This isn't about brothel women its about the girl asleep in my room, he told himself. Well there was no going back now; he told Captain Morgan and the whole crew he would be her roommate so he would keep his word. Even if he didn't like the girl to begin with, maybe he would be given the chance to get to know her better if the oppurtunity showed itself.

He quietly walked over to his bed and sat down, removing his boots, and set them under his desk. He took off his jacket and set it on the chair at his desk. Eduardo was worn out; it had been to exciting for him today, almost too much fun. Fun days like this always made him tired. He glanced over at Trixie once more before slipping beneath the covers. Laying on his side with his back turned to Trixie, Eduardo closed his eyes, giving himself into his dreams.

...

_When Trixie next opened her eyes, she wasn't in Eduardo's room; she was in the middle of a prison. Surrounding her were people in cells she could not identify, however she had this overwhelming feeling that she knew them._

_ "So you finally decided to show yourself," Sitting in the middle of the room a few feet from her was a man donned on a black cloak, a captain's hat pulled over his eyes, "Calypso."_

_ Trixie stepped forward, tilting her head to the side, "I'm sorry?" _

_ The man looked up and Trixie gasped; his eyes an astonishing bright silver. Patches of silvery white hair stuck out from underneath his hat. His eyes and his hair were an unnatural color; Trixie had never seen anything like it in her whole life. His skin was flawless and pale, his face shaped like a prince. He was handsome, yes, but he frightened Trixie; he frightened her so bad she found herself backing away. I must run, her mind screamed at her, but her body wouldn't listen. _

_ The man stepped forward, his eye's narrowing, "No matter where you go, no matter what you do, I will find you, and then you will know our pain." He stormed forward and Trixie went to run but she found herself frozen. Why can't I move, she thought franticly. As the man drew closer, he pulled a sword from his waist and lifted it in the air. The last thing she remembered was a horrible pain on her chest and her ear shattering scream. _

Trixie jerk herself upright and let out a small cry. Her breaths came out in gasps as she tried to keep herself from hypervenilating. The nightmare was so real, so vivid. Not once in a dream had she actually felt pain like that. Her hands instantly went to her chest and searched for any sign of injury. There was none. She looked down at herself to find she was sweating horribly and threw the blankets off of her, trying to cool down. Taking deep breaths, Trixie began to calm her nerves and get a better grip on reality. "It was just a dream." She told herself. As she calmed herself, Trixie looked around, and she realized she was still in Eduardo's room. Relief washed over her. If she would have woken up in a prison, she probably would have gone mad trying to get out.

Trixie allowed herself to think about her dream a moment longer. She had never seen the man before, and she hoped she never would, but something about him seemed oddly familiar. His white hair and silver eyes were plastered in her mind like a potrait on a wall. "He said _our _pain. Who was he talking about?" She asked herself. She thought very hard, trying to think of anything that would make a connection from the man to her memory, but nothing connected. It was just a dream so I should just forget about it, she told herself and forced the dream to the back of her mind.

After a few moments, Trixie forced herself to her feet and stretched, working out the stiff muscles from sleeping on the floor. Despite going to bed late and having a nightmare, Trixie felt more refreshed than she had expected. Since Eduardo wasn't here, she figured he was already awake and probably at the helm.

Trixie grabbed her large white shirt that had a neck line that reached all the way down to the middle of her stomach with light brow leather straps that held it together. She pulled it over her head and adjusted the straps so they were loosely tied up the front but not too loose so they wouldn't get in the way. She rolled her sleeves up to her elbows and tucked the hemline into the waistline of her pants. She was grateful for her dark blue undershirt otherwise her baggy shirt would easily reveal her undergarments.

Trixie sat on the chair at the desk and pulled on her boots, tucking the bottoms of her pants inside. When her boots were strapped on tightly, she headed for the hallway. She opened the door and peaked her head out, looking in the hallway. No one was there. Everyone must be up, she thought to herself as she walked down the hallway. There were three other doors that were spread out quite a lot along the hall.

Trixie went to the door at the end of the hall that lead out to the deck. Right as she opened the door, light poured in and blinded her momentarily before her eyes adjusted. The sun was peaking out from behind the clouds and the breeze felt cool enough to make Trixie shiver. "The ocean breeze feels so different." She said to herself as she walked out unto the deck. No one was there. Trixie turned and went to look at the helm when she stoppped herself. The ship was bigger than she realized; much much bigger. Besides below the deck, the back on the ship was made up of three levels; the first two floors with two sets of doors, the top level with a set of double doors. The first floor, the floor at deck level, Trixie knew the door to the left was Christopher's office. The door on the right was the hall Trixie had just come out of with the other rooms. The second floor held the helm and two more doors.

This was without a doubt the largest ship Trixie had ever been on. She had been able to walk onto ships to get booze shipments for the bar, but none of the ships could compare to this one.

On the second floor, the door on the right swung open and Thomas stepped out, instantly spotting Trixie on the deck. He smiled brightly and yelled, "Good yer' up! I was about to come n' get ya'!" Trixie went up the stairs on the left side of the deck up to the second floor and walked over to Thomas, "Good morning Thomas. Is everyone already awake?" He nodded and replied, "Yeah, we're about t' eat some breakfast. Captain Morgan sent me t' get ya' cause he didn't want ya' to miss out on yer' first breakfast as a Sirius member." She smiled and entered the room Thomas had come out of with him close at her heels.

As soon as the door opened and she stepped inside, every set of eyes locked onto her. Trixie froze momentarily before walking over to the table, taking a seat near the end. "Good morning." She greeted everyone as she sat. "Morning Trixie," Christopher was the first to greet her, "Sleep well?" Trixie nodded, "Very well, thanks for asking."

Eduardo made a sound of annoyance, "How can anyone be comfortable on the floor?" Christopher looked at Eduardo and was going to tell him to stop teasing her early in the morning, but he saw Trixie simply shake her head and replied, "Some people have different comfort levels."

Eduardo huffed and pulled out his pistol, loading it and began polishing it in front of everyone. Trixie felt a shiver go up her spine and she went silent.

"Just cause we let ya' sleep in today doesn't mean we'll let ya' do it again t'morrow." Russell stated, leaning on his elbow. Trixie moved her attention to Russell and nodded, "Okay, what time do you guys usually get up?"

"Around this time." Thomas replied with a smile.

"Ya' hafta earn sleepin' in." Eduardo told her, his pistol still in his hand, "Fer' now, ya' gotta get up when I do, and work in the mornin' till breakfast." Trixie stared at him incrediously, not believing what she was hearing. She had to get up before everyone else and clean just because he wanted her to? Did he really dislike her that much? She knew not taking his offer for his bed was the reason, it was more like he had no real reason for treating her differently. No, he was doing this on purpose. He just wanted her to do his chores and watch her make mistakes so he could rub it in her face. Trixie knew she was making too many assumptions at this point, but he had already made it clear that he didn't like the idea of having Trixie as a Sirius member. So she wouldn't put it past him to do all the things she thought of.

"Come on Eduardo, that's not fair to Trixie." Christopher protested, but Trixie stopped him. "It's alright Christopher, Eduardo made some good points. How can I call myself a member if I don't pull my own weight. Besides, I'm used to doing chores." Eduardo stared long and hard at Trixie before shrugging his shoulders, "Suit yerself'."

Christopher looked at Captain Morgan to see if he would object to Eduardo's behavior, but he simply smiled and said, "Look's like Trixie has her mind made up."

Christopher and Thomas looked at eachother worriedly. Even though they didn't like the idea of making Trixie do chores early in the morning, they had to believe that Captain Morgan had good reasons to allow it.

"Trixie," Captain Morgan suggested, "Why not give Nate a hand? I'm starving n' it would be faster if ya' helped him."

Trixie nodded eagerly and stood up, "Where can I find him?"

Russell pointed to a set of swinging double doors on Trixie's left, "Through there is the kitchen." Trixie smiled sweetly at Russell in thanks and walked over to the doors. She gently pushed them open and stepped inside, her nose instantly greeted by a wonderous smell. It was heavenly. Trixie had entered what looked like a large storage room which lead into a kitchen. There stood Nathan, flipping food in a pan expertly. Trixie stared momentarily before looking away with a light blush. Her mother always told her it was impolite to stare no matter how a person looked. Mustering a little courage, Trixie took a deep breath and stepped into the kitchen. "Good morning Nathan." She greeted.

Nathan piled the food from the pan onto a large serving plate before looking at her. "Oh, its you." He simply said.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked, taking another step forward. Nathan grabbed a frying pan and rested it on his shoulder, "You? Nothing." He declined, placing the frying pan on the stove and adding ingrediants to it. Trixie stood for a moment in silence before adding, "Are you sure? I feel bad for not being able to help in anyway."

"I said I don't need ya. Butt out missy." He said in a cold tone. Normally Trixie would be offended, but strangely it didn't affect her at all. He's kinda rude, Trixie thought to herself as she stood there, unsure of what to do. Should she keep asking? No, that didn't sound like a good idea; she would just annoy him more than she already had. Trixie stood there still as a board, debating whether or not she keep insisting. Nathan noticed her silence and turned to see her eyes glued onto him. "What are ya' lookin' at?" He asked, breaking Trixie's line of thought.

Yup I must really annoy him, Trixie thought to herself, feeling a bit defeated. No point in trying now. "Just forget it..." She simply replied and turned to leave, walking back through the storage room. Nathan watched her as she walked away before going back to work, finishing up the bacon and sausage he was currently cooking.

Trixie was about to push on the doors when she froze. She couldn't go back, not after she had told Captain Morgan in front of everybody that she would help out Nathan. She could already picture Eduardo's pistol in his hand, the muzzle pressed against her chest. If I go back now Eduardo will kill me, she thought franticly as she walked back into the kitchen.

Nathan heard a set of footsteps coming towarsd the kitchen and he was preparing to yell at Russell for being impatient, but it was Trixie who re-enterd the kitchen. "You again." He mumbled.

"Please, just give me something to do! Anything is fine!" She suddenly begged of him. Nathan's eyebrows went straight up as he stared surprised at her. Why did she want to help out so badly? He was so used to working by himself he never accepted the help before; and that was mostly because everytime he let someone help they usually snuck food for themselves.

"Jeez would ya' quit whining already?" He snapped with an irritated tone, causing Trixie to go silent once again. After about five seconds, Nathan saw Trixie had not gone anywhere and sighed in defeat, "...Take that." He ordered. Trixie blinked a few times, "Huh?" He pointed to a plate on one of the counters. It was the plate he had recently filled with orange colored noodles drowned in sauce with pieces of meat and vegetables, still steaming. It smelled delicious.

Trixie picked the plate of happily and inhaled through her nose. The smell was wonderous; she felt drool pooling in her mouth. "This looks amazing Nathan." She complimented, resisting the urge to lick her lips. He made a noise of acknowledgement and replied, "Well it ain't gonna eat itself. Take it to them." Trixie nodded and headed back to the diningroom through the food storage room. She walked sideways to push the doors open with her shoulders and stepped into the room, everyone eyeing the large plate of food in Trixie's grasp. Walking around the rim of the table, Trixie walked over next to Captain Morgan and set the plate before him.

Russell made a noise of annoyance, "Hey, what about me an' Thomas; we're at the end!"

Trixie placed her hands on her hips and replied, "If you wait a minute I can come back with plates so I can serve you instead of serving yourselves." Russell went silent and looked away. Thomas' brow raised, "Ya' sure ya' wanna serve us breakfast? We can do it ourselves." Trixie shook her head and walked back to the kitchen doors as she replied, "I don't mind Thomas."

Trixie walked back into the kitchen with the doors swinging behind her. "Nathan, where do you keep the plates and the silverware?" She asked. He looked at her momentarily before jerking his chin to his right, "Top left cabinet above the sink." Trixie followed his line of gaze and found the cabinet above the sink. Opening the left door, she found the plates on the second shelf. It was high reach, but Trixie stretched on the tips of her toes and managed to get the plates down one at a time. As she did so, Nathan snuck glances at her while she stretched herself. She had a very petite form that wasn't too slender but at the same time her stomach seemed flat as a board. He black hair was up in a high ponytail, but even while she stretched the bottom of the hair touched her tailbone.

Girl needs to get a hair cut, he thought to himself as he drew his focus back to the dish before him. Trixe stacked the small amount of plates and asked, "And now where is the silverware?"

Using one hand to move the frying pan back and forth, he leaned sideways in Trixie's direction and used his free hand to open a drawer right next to Trixie's hip. In it was very neatly organized silverware. She smiled and said, "Thank you Nathan." He nodded and straightened himself. Trixie pulled out the needed silverware and placed them atop the stack of plates, the she picked up the stack and carried them carefully into the diningroom.

"Sorry for the wait!" She said and began passing the plates and the silverware around. After she finished that, Trixie left to the kitchen and returned with serving forks. She went around the table and gave everyone the amount they all wanted, her smile never fading. Her cheerfulness brightened everyone's mood right away and they began to eat the first round. Trixie then returned to the kitchen once everyone had been served. "Nathan, is there anything else I can take to them?"

Nathan lifted the large frying pan he was holding off the burner and scooped its contents onto another serving plate. This time it was a large mountain of scrambled eggs with bits of bacon. If anything was Trixie's weakness, it was scrambled eggs with bacon. Again, she felt drool well up in her mouth. "Take this..." He said, putting the frying pan in the sink. She stared momentarily before blinking and asking, "You made this?"

Nathan grabbed a smaller sized frying pan before turning to her, "Yeah, what of it?" she shake her head, "It's just that I haven't seen something so delicious in my entire life. You must really know your foods."

He simply shook his head lightly; not that he was denying it, it was more like when someone just shakes their head when they don't have know how to answer.

Though he was used to the compliments of his shipmates about his cooking, Trixie's compliment caused the corner of his lips to twitch up in a smile. "It's not that hard, I'm sure even your mother could make something like this..." He glanced at her hesitantly, "That is if ya' got a mother."

Trixie nodded and replied, "I do, but bacon and eggs weren't my mother's specialty. She was better at making cheesy bacon rolled omelets."

Trixie remained in her thoughts as she picked up the plate full of eggs and began to walk out of the kitchen when she unconciously though out loud, "A cheezy bacon rolled omelet sounds good right now; I haven't had one in ages though."

Nathan stared at her as she stood in thought. She was a peculiar girl, he didn't meet girls much so he often took guesses at what they were like. Very picky, selfish, rude, stupid, primpy, rich, and always drowned in make up. To Nathan that was the definition of and upper class girl. Not so well dressed, well mannered, kind, understanding, wise, poor, and sometimes smelled bad was Nathan's definition of a lower class girl. Though Trixie looked like a lower class girl, she didn't seem to notice or care. She seemed very stubborn and energentic yet caring and willing to do anything to take someone else's load.

Trixie pulled herself from her daze and realized Nathan was staring at her. "Ah, sorry! I will take this to them right away!" She exclaimed and went to turn to leave when her stomach grumbled very, very loudly.

A blush spread across her cheeks and she glanced at Nathan to find him smirking, "I think yer's stomach it tryin' t' tell ya' somethin'." He stated, leaning back against the counter, and crossing his arms at his chest. Trixie thought she could die of embarassment. Not only did her stomach betray her, but she was in front of Nathan. Yes, she was extremely hungry since she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, but she hadn't noticed until she had laid her eyes on the bacon and eggs. Feel her face heat up even more, Trixie scurried away and yelled, "Sorry!"

Nathan simply chuckled and pushed himself off of the counter, thinking about what he would make next. "A cheesy bacon rolled omelet huh?" He mused to himself, his smirk still on his face.

Trixie set the plate of eggs at the other end of the table and yelled, "Who wants some eggs?" Almost everyone yelled in unison "I do", so Trixie went around the table and served everyone a portion of their own. After she served Captain Morgan some eggs, he took a bite a made a noise of satisfaction, "Is this egg dish new to the menu? Nate outdid himself this time!" Russell took a bite and nodded, "I like the change in menu!"

Trixie smiled as she served Thomas some eggs of his own. Everyone on this ship acted like a family; even though Trixie hadn't been here that long she could tell that everyone here were as tight as a woven basket, carrying troubles and duties together as a crew.

She made her way over to Christopher and was going to serve him some when he stood and put a hand on her wrist gently. "Trixie," he began, "How about you take a break and have some breakfast yourself? I can serve myself." Trixie held onto the serving spoon hesitantly, but Christopher smiled and added, "You need energy too ya' know." Giving in, Trixie nodded and handed Christopher the serving spoon, sitting down in her chair. Christopher gave Trixie some eggs for herself before giving himself any. She was going to object when Captain Morgan asked suddenly, "How do ya' like the eggs Trixie?"

Trixie turned her head in Captain Morgan's direction, "What? Oh!" Immedaiately she picked up her fork and took a big bite of eggs. At first it was scalding hot, but seconds later nothing but pure bliss could be describe as to what she was tasting. "Delicious!" She exclaimed, quickly taking another bite.

Before long, her plate was clean, but to her dismay the eggs were already emptied onto everyone else's plates for seconds. "That was delicious." She said to herself. Russell laughed lightly, "Whaddya expect? Nate's the best cook in the world!" Thmoas nodded in agreement, "No ship has a cook better than Nate." Trixie listened, her mood getting lighter by the second. She listened on and on to Russell and Thomas about how amazing of a cook Nathan was or how he never cooks the same thing two days in a row. Trixie's fondness of Nathan grew with every sentence.

Suddenly the doors to the kitchen flew open and Nathan stepped out, his arms full of plates. "Doc, here's what ya' were asking fer' earlier." Very skillfully Nathan stretched his arm out and a small plate slid down and landed right in front of Christopher. The food atop it looked very famlilar to Trixie and she asked Christopher, "Is that natto on your plate?" He smiled and replied, "Sure is. I tried it yesterday in Yamato and thought it tasted really good!" Russell leaned over and sniffed Christopher's plate then drew back quickly. "That stuff stinks Doc! How can anyone stand the smell?" He said with a disgusted tone. Christopher made a slightly disappointed expression and looked down at the natto, "I don't think its that bad."

"You know Christopher," Trixie quickly intervened, "If you add a little melted butter, not only does it taste better, but it also smells good too." Christopher's eyes widened slightly in surprise before he smiled. He could tell she was only trying to make him feel better. He nodded, "Thanks for the advice Trixie." She nodded and smiled back. Russell simply huffed and turned away, looking like a defeated, prideful puppy. Trixie could only giggle to herself.

Nathan simply stared at Trixie momentarily before moving to Eduardo, "Here..." Nathan handed Eduardo a small plate with a parafait of peaches and yogurt. Trixie could only stare in amazement. Wow they have everything on here, she thought with wonder. Eduardo made a sound of satisfaction and said, "Gotta have my yogurt in the mornin'."

Nathan moved to Captain Morgan and set a small plate in front of him as well, only this time it had a caramel covered apple. Trixie's eyes widened. You have got to be kidding me, she thought. In Yamato, caramel apples only came around Halloween becasue the temperature was just right; not too hot to melt to caramel and not too cold to harden it completely. Captain Morgan grinned from ear to ear and patted Nathan on the shoulder, "Ya' spoil us too much Nate. Thank ya' for breakfast." Nathan simply nodded and looked over at Trixie. They instantly locked eyes.

He walked over to where she was sitting and set the last plate he had in front of her. Trixie stared at him confused; why had he made her something? She hadn't asked for anything. But on the plate before her was none other than a cheesy bacon rolled omelet. Trixie felt as if her jaw would drop if it were physically possible.

She lookled at Nathan in surprise and studdered, "T-thank you Nathan!"

"From the sound of yer' grumblin' this can't be all yer' gonna eat?" He said with a quizzical tone. He stood there momentarily with his hands on his hips, waiting for Trixie to say something. She had the figure of a stick (despite her chest), so she was either lying and hiding her appetite or she really didn't eat as much as a regular person.

A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she looked down at her food, "Um I would be very grateful if you forgot about that." Trixie had no intention to relive that embarassing moment ever again, even though it only happened moments ago. The corner of Nathan's lips twitched up into a smirk, it left as soon as it had come. "Eat." He simply said, placing his hand next to her plate and staring hard. Trixie jump slightly at the cold shiver that went down her back. Jeez for a cold person he sure is nice, she thought to herself and quickly took a bite. She froze momentarily as soon as the food landed in her mouth.

It was more delicious than the bacon eggs she had recently devoured.

Nathan noticed her expression and nodded in satisfaction; if it hadn't been to the girls liking he would had taken it back and made her something else. Nathan looked up and found Christopher staring at him, a smile on his face. What is his problem, he wondered as he quickly walked away from Trixie. "Oy, Nathan," Russell yelled right before Nathan could enter the kitchen, "Can I have some of those cookies ya' made the other day?" Nathan nodded, "Okay."

"And can I have some toast and jam?" Thomas quickly added, both men looking like children. It caused Trixie to giggle again. Eduardo had been staring every now and then at Trixie, his curiousity about the girl growing every minute. It was like she forgot she was on the famous Sirius ship, it was like she had made herself at home already. He looked down at her plate and he was surprised to find it empty. She ate it that fast when he had just brought it to her, he thought to himself.

Nathan locked eyes with Trixie momentarily, waiting for her to say something. Oh does that mean I can make a request too, she wondered. After three more seconds of silence and his eyes still staring at her, Trixie cleared her throat and asked, "Do you have cinnamon rolls?"

Russell and Thomas looked at her with a funny expression. Why are they looking at me like that, she thought. A cinnamon roll was a delicacy in Yamato, however the reason it was a delicacy was because no one ever had money to afford it. Trixie barely ever got to eat one, but when she did it was because the baker would give it as a gift when Trixie was given money by the bar owner to buy her out. Sad as it was to say, the bar was one of the few establishments that made good amounts of money. That and the coal mine her father worked at. The reason people came to Yamato in the first place was because no other place could uncover coal in the great quality condition as well.

Nathan nodded, "We do." Trixie felt the smile on her face widen and she replied, "Thank you very much!" Nathan felt his brow rise at her cheerfulness, wondering why she was so happy and thankful when there was no reason to be. "Yer' a weird one." He mumbled, shaking his head slightly before going back into the kitchen. Trixie felt herself watching Nathan and quickly looked away. Why was she acting this way? Whenever Nathan was near her, or even looking at her, her chest felt funny. It wasn't something she was used to so the feeling bothered her.

"Well," Eduardo began and stood from his chair, "It's time t' get t' work. Trixie," He called, catching the girls attention, "Lets go, its time t' start on yer' chores." She sat there for a moment, unsure of what to say. She could be brutally honest and say she didn't want to. But Trixie was always taught that no matter how bad someone's manners were, no matter what comments they made, she must always keep her temper and and just think about how her actions made her look.

She nodded and stood up, "Just let me take the plates to Nathan and I will join you outside." Eduardo went to object but one look at Captain Morgan changed his mind. "Let the girl be." Captain Morgan mouthed to Eduardo, who simply nodded in return. "If yer' not out in five minutes, there'll be hell t' pay." With that, Eduardo walked out of the diningroom and slammed the door behind him.

Quick as a bunny, Trixie hopped up and began to clean up all the empty plates from the table. "Russell," She asked, "Can you give me a hand with the big serving plates?" In return, Russell made an annoyed expression and replied, "Why ya' askin' me? Get someone else t' help ya'."

"I'll help ya' Trixie!" Thomas jumped up, a smile on his face. Now was his chance to help Trixie out. She nodded and smiled, "Thanks Thomas!" He grabbed the two big serving plates and walked behind Trixie as she led the way into the kitchen. Russell stared after them momentarily before dropping his head down to rest on his arms. Why had he said no? He knew he didn't mind wanting to help Trixie out, but a part of him wasn't ready to get over the embarassment of being slapped and falling on his face from tripping over her. She had put up one hell of a chase, he couldn't believe she could run so fast.

He remembered her from the bar attack too. After Eduardo had mentioned it last night, he had thought about it all night and remembered this morning. But he didn't want to say anything. Even then he had been rough with her when he told her to leave; he practically shoved her out the door.

Captain Morgan leaned forward, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, and whispered, "Ya' know, that prideful tiger side of yerself' is no way to confront the ladies if ya' know what I mean." Russell huffed and turned his head away. He knew Captain Morgan was right, but he wasn't going to admit it.

...

"Nathan, we brought ya' the plates!" Thomas announced as they entered. Nathan turned in their direction and nodded, "Put em' in the sink." Trixie moved and set them in the sink and held out her hands to take the plates from Thomas, who handed them over. After all the plates were in the sink, Thomas smiled at Trixie. "Thanks for the hand Thomas, " Said Trixie. He nodded and replied, "Anytime Trixie!" Thomas turned and went to leave when he stopped, "Oh, Nathan? I think I will wait for the toast and jam another morning." Nathan simply nodded and turned back to the stove. Thomas winked at Trixie and left, the doors swinging behind him. He's so nice, Trixie thought to herself and smiled. "What are ya' grinning 'bout?" Nathan suddenly asked, causing Trixie to jump slightly. "Oh, um nothing." Was her reply.

They stood there is silence, no one daring to say anything. Now it just feels awkward, Trixie thought to herself. Maybe she should just leave. "Well thank you for breakfast!" Trixie suddenly said and went to leave when he grabbed her arm, "Hold up!"

Trixie stopped and turned towards him. She looked down at where he was holding her arm, then back at his face. Realizing how he must have looked, Nathan looked away and tried not to let Trixie see the faint blush spreading across his cheeks. "What is it Nathan?" She asked, wondering why he wasn't looking at her. Instead of answering, he released her arm and moved to the side. On the stove was a small plate with hot steaming cinnamon roll, the glaze dripping over the edge. This time, Trixie felt her jaw drop, but she made no move to stop it.

"Didn't have any in stock, so I jus' made one." Nathan confessed, looking to the side, his blush faded. Trixie didn't know what to say. 'Thank you' would have been the most appropiate thing to say, but she felt as if not even that could convey how grateful she was feeling. She walked over to the stove and stared down at the food momentarily before Nathan spoke with an irritated tone, "Well it ain't gonna eat itself."

"R-right!" Trixie replied in an excited tone and instantly picked it up to take a bite. It was scalding hot, so it burned her tongue momentarily, but the heat quickly died down and all she could taste was cinnamon and the sweet glaze. She could have died from happiness right there.

"Amazing Nathan! You are the best chef I know!" Trixie exclaimed, smiling happily at Nathan. He stood at the girl with wide eyes momentarily, then he let himself smile. "Yer' a funny one." He said aloud, causing Trixie to look away and blush slightly. What did he mean by that? Was it meant to be a compliment or an insult?

Suddenly a gunshot rang out, causing Trixie to jump. What was that, Trixie wondered. Suddenly Trixie remembered where she was supposed to be. "Crap, that was Eduardo!" She yelled and ran out of the kitchen, the cinnamon roll stuffed into her mouth.

**I know this chapter was longer than most but I didn't realize how long it was till I had to look it over . I had fun writing this chapter! **

**Who was the man in Trixie's nightmare? Was he the same man from Yamato who followed her brother when he realized she went missing? Why did he call her Calypso? Will Eduardo warm up to Trixie of continue to be rude to her? **

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think! It gives me motivation to continue writing! **

**Just to let you guys know, I will be going to Montana for three weeks and I won't be taking my laptop with me, so my opportunities to write aren't looking so great. However if I get the chance I will do a little writing. **

**It would mean a lot to me if you guys read some of my other stories. I am trying to improve my skills and it helps when I know what other people think of my pieces. It means so much to mean that you guys even read this much! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Thanks again!**


	6. Booze Mixed With Tears

Booze Mixed With Tears...

"Alright, here's what ya' do, scrub the deck spotless; I want to see my face shinin' in it by the time lunch is served. If ya' finish beforehand, come up t' the helm and scrub down that floor as well." Eduardo handed her a bucket with soapy water and a sponge. Taking them, Trixie looked at the tools before looking at Eduardo, "I have to scrub it by hand? What about a mop?"

He glared down at Trixie, "Doesn't do the job like a mean, old elbow grease scrub." She nodded, quickly realizing she wasn't getting a mop. He huffed and he walked away, "Get t' work; I'll be watching ya' from the helm." When he began to climb the stairs, Trixie turned to face the deck, and sighed. It was huge. There was no way she was going to get done by lunch. "No point and complaining now." She said to herself and walked over to the bow of the ship.

Once there, Trixie got down on her knees, drenched the sponge, and got to work.

As Trixie worked, she hummed to herself and thought about things as the time passed. The men of Sirius were nicer than she expected, though she knew she was going to have to make nice with a few of them. They were kind enough to let her stay on their ship, so she knew complaining about the work they gave her wasn't the way to repay their kindness. 'I can do it', she thought to herself. 'I have worked at bars and on ships that docked in Yamato, I can do this'.

Two hours went by and Trixie began to feel her back sweat from the sun's harsh heat. Her throat felt dry and it began to burn as the temperature increased. She knew it wasn't hot outside, but her body began heating up from how hard and how long she was working. She glanced behind her every now and then to find Eduardo still watching her. It felt a little strange from him to be watching her since her bottom was to the helm; however she did her best to ignore the thought.

Instead, she thought about her family back in Yamato. How are they? Did they know she was gone? Were they worried sick? Was her mother feeling any better? How were her brother's classes going? Was her father angry or sad that she was gone? How was the bar owner? Did he repair his bar? Did he replace her since she was gone?

Would she ever see her family again soon?

After another hour, Trixie was in the middle of the deck when she needed new water. Sitting up on her knees Trixie wiped the sweat off of her brow. She looked at her murky bucket of water and decided if she was going to get new water she was going to have to get it herself. "Might as well ask Eduardo." She thought outloud and stood, grabbing the handle of the bucket, and carrying it towards the helm.

When she stood right below the helm on the deck she took a deep breath and yelled, "Edaurdo!" His attention instantly snapped towards her and he yelled back, "What are ya' doing? Yer' not done yet!"

"I need new water; this stuff has gone bad!" She yelled back.

Eduardo walked away from the helm and walked down the stairs to the deck. Leaning back against the door that led to the hallway of rooms, Trixie watched Eduardo as yanked the bucket from her hands and ordered, "Wait here." She nodded and moved so Eduardo could enter the door behind her, slamming it behind him. Trixie stared at the door momentarily before looking down at her feet, sighing. "He doesn't like me very much." She said sadly to herself, clasping her hands in front of her. She was used to not being liked; girls in Yamato would make fun of her for not being more ladylike, but at the sametime they only said that because the men in Yamato liked Trixie since she wasn't as girly as them. She was used to being unliked by women, but when it came to men it was a whole different story. Eduardo made it clear he didn't like Trixie, but the intensity of the fact was so much more harsh from when a woman said so.

"Why the hell are ya' rooming with him again?" Trixie looked above her to see Russell looking down at her from the railing on the second level, right next to the helm. She shrugged her shoulders and looked down when her neck began to hurt from looking up too long. I don't think he likes me very much either, Trixie thought to herself. Russell leaped into the air and over the railing, landing on the soles of his feet on the deck level right next to Trixie. "Is he makin' ya' do the deck by yerself?" He asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed at his chest. Trixie nodded. Russell huffed, "Doesn't seem right fer' him t' treat ya' this way jus' cause yer' a woman."

Trixie shook her head, "It's completely normal to me; I worked at a bar so I'm used to working like this."

Russell watched her as she began to talk explain teh jobs she would do back in Yamato. However he didn't seem to mind; in fact everything she explained it to him sounded like a story you wuld hear someone would say while at a bar.

"Despite working at a bar, I would sometimes work on ships that were docked there for a few days to make extra money. So this kind of work is something that I'm used to; I will say that this ship is a bit bigger than any ship I have cleaned before."

Russell didn't realize himself, but he was smiling as he listened to her talk. This wasn't usually something he liked to do which was sit and listen to a girl talk, but this girl kept his attention the whole time.

Trixie stopped when she realized Russell had been quiet the whole time. She saw he was staring at her unconciously and blushed. "I wonder what's taking Eduardo so long." She said randomly, hoping to draw the attention off of herself. Russell then realized himself that he was staring and looked away, a blush spreading across his cheeks. Everything was now silent and awkward. Come on think of something to say, Russell yelled at himself mentally.

"So...ya' got any family?" Russell asked, looking at the deck so he didn't look at Trixie. He was caught staring at her once, he'd rather not get caught again. Trixie nodded, "Yeah, I do; my parents and my younger brother."

Silence...

Think of something else idiot, Russell screamed in his mind. Usually Russell didn't have trouble talking to girls. Why? Well he never talked to them to begin with, unless he was at a brothel. No words were needed there. He cleared his throat, "What are they like?"

As they talked, Christopher and Thomas had tiptoed to the railing on the second level next to the helm, listening to them, and making sure they were silent so no one heard them. Christopher held up a finger to his lips, telling Thomas they needed to be extremely quiet. Thomas nodded and looked down at the two, listening to Trixie as she spoke.

"My father is stubborn and hard headed, he works at the mines to earn what money he can to support us. There's a nobleman who lives up in the mountains and controls the work of the mines. My father constantly is trying to get the nobleman to have his son marry me." She made a sound that was between a laugh and a snort, "Even though I would rather not, my father told me it would help bring more money in." Trixie stopped herself from speaking momentarily. She couldn't believe she just told Russell that someone was wanting to marry her! That was so embarassing! How could she just talk about it like it was nothing? Marriage was a very serious matter. Then again to Trixie marriage was always the last thing on her mind.

This time Russell had the courage to look at her, "Why is yer' Dad so intent on makin' more money?" Trixie's eyes fell a little, her expression saddening. "My mom is really sick," She explained, "And the medicene we need to get her is more expensive than the house we live in." Russell's eyes widened slightly. That was unusual. Medicene more expensive than living homes? If that was true, then that meant the economy had to be horrible. HE had seen it for himself; the place wasn't exactly the prettiest he had visited.

"Since my mom is really sick, she does what she can at the house, but it doesn't help her condition in the least." Trixie continued. It was true, most of the time Trixie came home her mom would be doing the dishes. One time she suddenly fainted. Trixie had to carry her to her bed and put a warm washcloth on her forehead.

Seeing her sad expression, Russell quickly changed the subject. "What's yer' brother like?" He asked.

Trixie looked up at the sky, thinking of her younger brother. "My younger brother is twelve years old. His name in Johnathan, but I call him Johny for short. He is very smart and wants to become a scholar when he grows up." She paused to take a breath, "So for his birthday we told him he will be going to school. That was two years ago. The bad thing about school in Yamato is people have to pay for their education. So in order for him to go to school, I had to get a job."

"So that's why ya' were workin' at the bar before." Russell stated. She nodded, "The bar owner used to work with my father so he was more than happy to give me a job. Though he knew it wasn't a good idea for me to work during the night shift, he made me do the cleaning during the day. The only times I did the night shift was when his other employee couldn't make it."

Christopher and Thomas looked at eachother momentarily. Poor girl, she was working in a bar so her brother could go to school. Thomas felt bad for Trixie, she had to be so strong in such harsh times. Christopher, however, could only think of how well Trixie fit in with everyone here. Everyone had harsh pasts, Trixie's probably wasn't any different.

Russell smirked, "I'm sure ya' had t' fend off all sorts of perverts when ya' worked at night." He waited for Trixie to say something, anything or even laugh, but when he looked at her, she lowered her head so her bangs were covering her eyes, her lips trembling in a firm line. Good one Russell, he cursed himself mentally and tried to quickly think of something that would change the topic. But before either of them could say anything, Thomas had been leaning too forward between the bars of the railing, and he fell forward landing right at Trixie's feet.

Trixie jumped and unconciously clung unto Russell. "Dammit Thomas, whaddya think yer' doing?!" Russell yelled at Thomas, who was sitting up rubbing his head. "Ow..." He mumbled. Christopher layed flat on the ground right as Russell looked up in his direction. When Russell went back to yelling at Thomas, Christopher released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. That as a close one, he thought to himself. Sitting up and turning to stand, Christopher saw Nathan standing outside the diningroom door, leaning agianst the frame as if he had been there awhile. When the two locked eyes, Nathan stood straight and turned away, walking back inside. Christopher smiled at the man. So he DID have some interest in the girl. And to think it had only been one night.

Trixie regained her senses and realized she was holding onto Russell, the sudden reality causing her cheeks to burst into flame and release him. "Sorry!" She yelled, feeling very embarassed. The act itself was childish and the last thing Trixie wanted was the members treating her like one. Russell saw Trixie's blush and felt his cheeks heat as well, remembering that when she had clung to him he had wrapped an arm around her waist reflexively. Thomas simply looked back and forth between the two before grinning.

"What are ya' grinning at idiot?" Russell yelled when the door behind Trixie burst open and Eduardo stepped out. "He's grinning cause ya' look like a tomato." Eduardo stated, handing Trixie the bucket of soapy water. Trixie's blush worsened when she realized Eduardo had been listening to them as well; question was how much did he hear? "Shuttup or I'm gonna cut yer' tongue out!" Russell yelled, reaching for his sword. Eduardo glared at him, his hand hovering over his pistol, "Ya' wanna run that by me again?"

Sensing the fight that was about to break out, Trixie inched around Eduardo and grabbed Thomas by the wrist, pulling him to his feet. As they slowly backed away, Trixie whispered, "Should we stop them or leave them be?" Thomas shrugged, "Cap'n doesn't usually like fightin' on the ship, so if they start we should try t' stop em'." Trixie nodded and was trying to think of a way to stop them when someone caught her eye. Christopher was kneeling by the railing near the helm on the second level, gesturing for her to come closer.

Trixie nodded and slowly walked over to the stairs with Thomas at her heels. Right as her foot stepped onto the first step, Eduardo lunged at Russell, his fist connecting with Russell's stomach. Russell made a noise of pain and fell to his knees, but seconds later lifted Eduardo by his knees and brought him to the ground.

"Uh oh." Trixie said aloud, now making a break up the stairs. Thomas ran back down to try and seperate the two, but only to get shoved away by Eduardo.

"Christopher what should we do?" Trixie said once she reached him, both of them staring over the railing at the two fighters. Christopher shook his head, "All I know is that it wouldn't be a good idea for us to get involved personally like that." Christopher pointed to Thomas who sat away from the brawl, rubbing his cheek from the new fist imprint on his face. Trixie watched as the two began to fight more intensely; their swings and kicks getting harder and faster as they continued. "What can we do?" Trixie wondered looking down at her bucket of water.

Bucket...

Water...

"That's it!" Trixie exclaimed, causing Christopher to jump. "You have an idea?" He asked, looking at the beaming girl. She nodded and lifted her bucket, "Nothing like cold, soapy water on a hot day." Christopher looked doubtful, but the girl's happy determination made him smile. "Go ahead and try, I will get my office ready for when you send them in." Trixie nodded and Christopher walked away and went down to the deck, entering the door which was right next to the staircase that held his office. "Ok," She told herself, "I'm just gonna pour some water on them to stop the fighting; that'll do the trick." She lifted the bucket over the railing right over the two, waiting for the right moment.

Behind her, Nathan came out of the diningroom with a small barrel on his shoulder when he noticed Trixie leaning forward over the railing, lifting a bucket of water over the edge. He walked closer until he was right behind and asked, "What do ya' think yer' doing?" She hadn't seen Nathan coming, so his voice suddenly next to her ear caused her to jump and tilt the bucket over all the way. Cold, soapy water rained down upon Russell and Eduardo, causing them both to yell in surprise.

"Oops." Said Trixe, biting her lip. Eduardo looked up and saw Trixie holding the bucket, a look of fear coming into her eyes. "Ya' stupid woman!" He yelled, pulling his pistol out and taking aim. Trixie ducked before the shot even went off. Eduardo aimed carefully and pulled the trigger. Right as Trixie fell to her knees, the bullet hit its mark and burried itself in the wood barrel full of booze that was on Nathan's shoulder. the bullet made a hole big enough for booze to pour out and drench Trixie in it. She yelped in surprise and covered her head to try and stop the flow of booze that was drenching her.

Nathan instantly set the booze down with the hole facing up, so no more booze would pour out, and yelled, "What the hell!"

Russell, infuriated, whacked Eduardo's pistol from his hand and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "What the hell are ya' aiming at Trixie fer'?!" He yelled. Sure she had poured ice cold water on them, but that was no reason to shoot the girl.

Eduardo took Russell's hands and forced him to let go, fixing the collar of his shirt and jacket. "Fer' yer' information," He explained, "I wasn't aimin' fer' her, I was aimin' fer' the barrel."

Russell made a face at Eduardo before looking up at Trixie. She was completely drenched, head-to-toe, in booze. She was trembling slightly, but she manged to stand on her own. "Ya' alright?" Russell yelled to her. She nodded and looked at Eduardo, her eyes glistening. Please don't cry, Russell complained mentally, groaning in annoyance, and looking away. Yes, he had aimed for the barrel, but he hadn't known that until Eduardo told him, so how was that suppose to make Trixie feel?

"Just because I poured water on you, doesn't mean you to have shoot me for it! I was only trying to get you two to stop fighting!" She yelled angrily, feeling her throat constrict from holding back her tears. Trixie had never been shot before, she had had plenty of times where she almost got shot, but that was because the person trying to kill her was because she was in the way like at the bar. Never had she been shot at before over a bucket of water.

She was so terrified of Eduardo now. But even more so, she was sad. She didn't think that he disliked her so much that he would actually shoot her. If Russell didn't like her, she figured all he would really do is yell at her or complain to someone else.

Nathan watched Trixie as she spoke, her eyes becoming wet with unshed tears. He felt sorry for the girl, but he felt an enormous amount of anger towards Eduardo. He could tell that Eduardo was aiming for the barrel on his shoulder, but the barrel was behind Trixie's head so if she hadn't ducked...Well, Nathan stopped his thoughts right there.

Trixie turned on her heel and stormed away, refusing to let anyone see her cry from fear. She threw the dingroom doors open, letting them slam behind her. Nathan watched her as she left before turning back to Eduardo and Russell. "Go see Doc." He ordered them. Eduardo and Russell nodded, not bothering to object at this point. They both screwed up and they knew it. Russell knew he was going to have to apologize sooner or later; though it killed him to admit it. Eduardo on the other hand had no intention of apologizing to the girl. He hadn't aimed for her, only the barrel, and it was her fault if she thought otherwise.

As Thomas herded the two to Christopher's office, Nathan picked up the barrel, making sure the hole still faced up so no booze leaked again. He walked back into the diningroom, being more careful to not let the doors slam beind him. He scanned the room quickly and found she was nowhere in sight. Must be in the kitchen, he thought as he set the booze down at the other side of the room where the bar was located. Nathan looked through the shelves until he found a cork the same size as the bullet hole, plugging it so it wouldn't leak if soomeone tipped it over, but knowing this crew it wouldn't surprise him if it got tipped over any way.

Nathan moved to the other end of the room towards the set of swinging doors leading to the kitchen and the storage room. He heard the sound of the sink as soon as he entered the room. When he turned the corner he saw Trixie in front of the sink, her shoulders moving rapidly as she tried to wash her shirt in the soapy water. Her dark blue undershirt was wet and clung to the form of her body, the smell of booze coming of her in waves. He watced her momentarily, noticing that her shoulders were shaking ever so lightly as she worked. She was crying.

"Hey." Nathan said loud enough for Trixie to hear over the sound of the water. She stopped and whirled around, tears brimming in her eyes. "Oh, Nathan!" She exclaimed, turning off the water instantly, "Sorry I used your sink; I just didn't want my shirt to get stained." Feeling embarassed, Trixie leaned back against the counter and looked down at her shoes, trying her best to get a old of her feelings. She didn't look up even when Nathan moved towards her and looked her up and down. Yup, soaked in booze from head to toe. Pour girl didn't deserve the scare the way she did.

Looking at the sink full of soapy water with her shirt, Nathan suddenly got an idea. He grabbed her shirt from the sink and twisted the fabric tightly to wring out all the water. After a few moments of watching the liquid drip away, he shook out her shirt and handed it to her. Looking up and taking her shirt, Trixie gave Nathan a confused expression. "Follow me." He told her, and began to walk away. She stood there momentarily before running to catch up with him.

Nathan left the diningroom and made his way down to the deck level, going to the door farthest from the stairs that led to the hall way with everyone else's rooms. He opened the door and stood to the side, waiting for Trixie to enter before him. She hesitated before going in, wondering where he was leading her. He closed the door behind him and walked past her towards the end of the hall where Trixie noticed for the first time where a staircase that went down to the right. Nathan went down the stairs and disappeared around the left corner, leaving Trixie at the top to peek down the stairs, waiting for something. When nothing happened, she figured she was supposed to follow him. Her suspicions were confirmed when she went down a few steps and she heard Nathan's voice, "Did ya get lost?"

Turning another corner, Trixie saw a set of double doors with one slightly open, and steam was coming out of the top. Looking around, she found herself below deck where she had first met Nathan and Thomas. Didn't know there was another room down here, she thought to herself. Seconds later, Nathan's head popped out of the door, "Ya comin'?"

Clutching her shirt to her chest, Trixie shuffled forward nervously towards the open door and peaked inside. It was a large bathroom. The walls were painted white with marble flooring, multiple walls put up with swinging doors to seperate each of the shower heads that lined up all along the walls. the most noticable thing in the room however was the large tub set up in the right corner closer to the doors. She made a noise of surprise as she looked around, causing one of Nathan's brows to go up in curiousity. "What?" He rested his hands on his hips.

She shook her head before looking at him, "How do you have marble flooring in a ship made completely of wood?"

He reached his hand into the only hanging basket in the room and pulled out a towel for her, "Jus' put em' down over the wood floor...It makes Cap'n feel like he's in a palace or somethin'." She nodded at his explanation, taking the towel he held out for her. "Thank you." She said. Without responding, Nathan turned away and pointed towards an empty basket by the door. "Put yer' clothes in here n' I will come n' grab em'." Before she could protest, Nathan walked out of room, and closed the door behind him. He doesn't seem like the talking type, she concluded in her thoughts. Sighing, Trixie placed her white shirt in the basket before going to remove her dark blue tank top that she wore underneath. She hesitated, staring at the lock on the door which was begging her to be used; however she shook her head since Nathan had told her he was coming to gather her clothing. She just hoped no one would peek.

She pulled her under shirt up over her shoulders and threw it in the basket. She bent over and reached for her boots, unlacing them from the top and moving down to the tip of her toes. She slipped her feet out and placed them next to the basket. The steam from the working shower was quickly building up in the closed off room and Trixie found herself looking around the walls for a small window or a vent to let the hot air out and was very relieved when she saw a small window above one of the showers. Removing the rest of her clothing and throwing it in the basket, Trixie wrapped her bare body in the towel and walked across the room to open the small window.

She twisted a small knob and the small pieces of wood used for the blinds turned to reveal a small scene of the never ending sea, a tiny breeze entering the room as the steam went out.

'That feels nice' Trixie thought before she walked away from the window and straight in the shower. She entered the stall, making sure the small door was in place behind her. The door itself was only three feet in length so everything from her shoulders and up could been seen. 'At least my embarassing parts are covered' she told herself as she showered.

As she showered, Trixie found herself thinking about her new friends. Captain Morgan seemed friendly enough and he was very charming, however his presense was more overwhelming than the rest of the crew. Something told her she should never upset him in the future if she wanted to keep her head on her shoulders.

Russell had been some what threatening to her, but she was told once that it takes a little bit of time for a person to warm up to another. He was nicer to her earlier and he had even argued with Eduardo about shooting her; well since she dodged he shot the barrel. She had a feeling it wouldn't take much longer for her and Russell to become actual friends. She sincerely hoped they would. It was rather lonely without friends.

Thomas and Christopher acted like they were brothers and were very open to people not apart of the crew. They were the first ones who actually smiled at her when she first ended up on the ship. Christopher didn't appear to own any weapon and she never saw one in his office before. Thomas, on the other hand, always carried around what looked like a wooden sword at his waist along with a small dagger. Hopefully he actually knew how to use those. He seemed very young and Trixie had never seen someone at a young age use a weapon of any kind.

Eduardo was probably the one she was going to have problems with. By problems she was thinking along the lines of she would be his personal slave and would do all his chores while he sat back and drank rum. At the same time, something told her he wasn't cold inside like he was outside. She guessed he was nicer than he was letting off. Though she knew some people were down right rotten to the core, no one that heartless would be a member of the Sirius crew; she figured this since the captain of the ship had asked a seventeen year old girl to be a member after a mistake encounter.

After a few minutes, Trixie figured out how to turn off the shower and reached for her towel when instead of the thick fabric her hand touched what felt like skin. It was a hand, one that wasn't hers.

She turned her head slowly and came face to face with a complete stranger. A man with milky white skin and black hair like her own that reached to his shoulder. He wore a black hat with white fabric hanging off of one of the sides and a black trench coat that went to his knees. His eyes widened as they stared at eachother. After a few seconds he looked up and down her bare body and smirked, "My, what a rare flower I have come across. Never have I seen such a beautiful and...sensual figure."

The next thing that could be heard was the sound of Trixie letting out an ear shattering scream.

**Alright you guys here is the next chapter! Sorry it took so long I have been having problems with getting ready for school. I can't believe its actually almost that time of the year again! I'm so nervous! **

**Anyways I want you guys to tell me what you thought of this chapter! I'm sorry if it seemed short I have been trying to extend them little by little. **

**For my own selfish desire's, I now must ask for you to review and tell me your favorite part of this chapter or any others I have posted so far. This will tell me the type of action or romance I should put in LOL REVIEW**

**Did I mention it gives me motivation? LOL PLZ REVIEW! -CoolCat0720**


End file.
